50
by Aviantei
Summary: [AU] So Roxas has this whole deal where he's trying to be a hero. Axel has this whole deal where he used to be a hero—until Roxas abandoned him. Reah has this whole deal where her friends always abandoned her—so she decided to abandon everyone else instead. Reah discovers a new world, Axel learns he doesn't have to be alone, and Roxas fights to recover what he never really lost.
1. Act I, Scene I

**50**

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene I: "Looks like most of the floors are pretty clear today."

* * *

"Heartless," Reah murmured, her feet positioned on Roxas's dashboard. He hated it when she did that, but he was too nice to put his foot down for the necessary amount of time to actually convince her not to. So, using the dashboard as a footrest remained a habit. "And Nobodies." Sighing, Reah crushed the pop can in her hand, dropping it to the floor. Bless his heart, Roxas played the good driver and didn't look away from the road. "Don't you think those names are kind of cruel? I know they're not perfect beings, but still."

"What I think," Roxas said, his voice utterly even, "is that you're going to clean up the car once we're done here." Reah pouted, but ended up glancing at the pile of take-out trash and empty Ziploc bags that pooled underneath the passenger's seat, like a very sloppy dragon's horde. The car slowed down as they approached a red light, and finally Roxas looked to scowl at his partner. "Seriously, this isn't a dump, you know. And get your feet off the dash!"

Reah dropped her legs down, the sound of paper and cardboard crumbling underneath her soles following. "Eyes on the road," she quipped, noticing the light changing back to green. The sky was cloudy, like it was going to rain, but it never did. Roxas obeyed, turning to the right. Knowing that she'd just get lost, Reah went back to ignoring the car's progress. "Besides, I feed you, too, you know. It's not like I'm completely heartless."

Roxas grimaced. "Did you just…?"

Reah snickered, folding her arms behind her head to stare at the ceiling. It was the same as every other time she decided to look up in Roxas's car, tan and synthetic fabric all the way. "You know, you could just tell me when I make a lame joke."

The boy only sighed, his eyes intent on the road. Reah couldn't see things the way he did, but she knew he was scanning the surroundings, trying to find an opening. Somewhere, there was a sign that signaled a spot where people could _slip_ , and that would take them to where they needed to go. Still, they had been driving around for at least thirty minutes, and there hadn't been any luck so far.

Reah was getting _antsy_ , and she didn't like it.

"Is it not going to show up today?" she asked. In all the time she had been with Roxas, it had never happened, but there was a chance. Roxas's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and creases appeared in the fabric of his gloves. "I'm sorry," Reah immediately apologized. "I know that the clouds make it hard to see."

"Did you check the gear?" Roxas asked, his voice clipped. He always got like this when it was time to go, but Reah didn't like it. In fact, she hated it. When people got cold and distant…that was the sort of behavior that she had wanted to escape. And to see someone like Roxas—who was normally so cheerful and kind—act like that just hurt all the more.

Reah settled her hands in her lap, avoiding Roxas's eyes even more than before. "Yeah. I had a free period earlier, so I—Jesus Christ, a little _warning_!"

Roxas had pulled the car into a sharp turn, and inertia had done its work in smacking Reah's face against the passenger window. In the backseat, the bags of gear made a _thump_ as they hit against the door. The girl went to protest more, but for a moment, the air was sucked out of her lungs, and by the time Reah got it back, she knew there was no point in continuing.

The car braked to a stop, and Roxas practically threw himself out the driver's door. Reah took a moment to make sure she could stand properly, then stepped out as well, a hand on the top of the car door. The familiar clatters of zippers and metal _clink_ ing as Roxas armed himself up with gear sounded as Reah stared at the challenge above them.

The castle towered up into the sky, looking positively gothic, its shadow sticking out against the night sky. Almost comically, the ever full moon peaked out from behind a tower, looking skewered, and the illumination it provided was the blood. The only thing missing from the scene was some vampire bats, and then they'd be set.

Not wanting to get on the bad side of Roxas's temper, Reah opened the door to the backseat, preparing her gear as well.

* * *

The inside of the castle was just as stereotypically black and white horror film as the outside, the walls, floor, and ceiling composed of large concrete bricks. Spider webs were in all the right corners, and even torches lined the walls. _Torches!_ It wasn't like electricity wasn't a proper option. The town just down the hill had just as good and sometime better technology as the dimension Reah and Roxas had just crossed over from.

Yeah, the damn thing was even on a hill. Overshadowing a small town nonetheless. Thinking about it critically, Reah wanted to cry.

As always, Roxas took point, his keyblade at the ready. Reah didn't quite understand how the weapon worked, even after watching Roxas defeat enemy after enemy with it, but she didn't complain. The strange sword(?) had saved her before, plus it made the idea of conquering the castle actually seem _obtainable_ , not just some offhanded dream.

The castle had never done anything to the villagers, but that didn't make it any less harmful in the world. Each floor contained its own myriad of monsters, and, even if defeated, they would eventually come back. That alone was suspicious enough, but the monsters were tough, too, so no one in the town ever made it past the first floor.

Roxas could beat the monsters with ease, _and_ he could make enough progress before the respawn period kicked in—randomly ranging from a few minutes to a few days. Reah didn't know exactly how many floors the castle had, but she did know that whatever or whoever Roxas was trying to get was at the top.

On their last raid two days prior, Reah and Roxas had successfully conquered the thirty-seventh floor for the first time. Of course, leaving the castle meant they had to start all over, but at least they had gotten to the point where the first fifteen floors were a cakewalk for them, no matter how many of the monsters had respawned.

Reah gripped the two daggers between her hands. They were at a severe disadvantage in terms of the reach Roxas could manage, but they were the only weapon she could even manage to somewhat use. If anything, physical combat was more her expertise, but she didn't have the strength to even cause damage to any of their enemies. She couldn't even use magic either, but she wasn't exactly there for the sake of being a powerhouse.

"Raaah!" Roxas shouted, swinging his blade. Reah shot back to the present, the impact of the few surviving monsters hitting against the opposite wall echoing with the remains of Roxas's voice. "Alright, switch out!"

Reah dashed past Roxas, towards the three monsters—Heartless. They were some of the bulkier builds, even if Reah didn't know their names. Regardless, they had made it to the tenth floor, which meant that she could handle them without too much damage and still get her job done. When the Heartless stood up to resume their attack, Reah countered, blocking their strikes and leaving an opening.

" _Firaga!_ " Roxas called, his spell complete. While his magic was powerful, it took way too long to cast to be useful in a solo fight. A partner was necessary for it even to be worthwhile, and while Reah wasn't worth much else, she could still leave enough time for Roxas not to worry about taking any heavy damage.

Reah moved just in time to see the flash of flame at the tip of Roxas's keyblade, and then balls of fire burned the rest of the enemies into nothing. The Heartless disappeared, not even a burning smell left behind them. Reah checked her daggers to make sure they didn't sustain any damage, and Roxas slung his blade over his shoulder.

"Looks like most of the floors are pretty clear today," he said, sounding distant. "Let's keep going."

All Reah could do was nod.

* * *

Fighting the Heartless was a pain in and of itself. The Nobodies were even worse. Still, Reah didn't know exactly what they were, and no research from either the school's library or the internet had yielded any results. Asking Roxas was even less helpful, because he didn't talk while they were in the castle, and trying to talk about things inside the castle while they were outside of it only made him cold. Reah preferred it if she could keep him friendly at school, so she gave up, instead focusing on the things that would help her in a fight.

Heartless generally had less durability than their same-sized Nobody counterparts, and they fell to Roxas's keyblade much more easily. Reah had a better chance of fighting them off, too, and had even defeated a few on her own. Roxas had said it was better for him to make the finishing blows, and Reah didn't question it. That just meant she had to go easier on them.

Roxas making the kill when it came to Nobodies was a better idea, too, but Reah didn't have to worry about holding back against them. If she did, it only made matters worse, and she had gotten hurt pretty badly in more than one fight because of taking that course of action. The Nobodies were way out of her league, and seemed to go after her with way more vigor than they did towards Roxas. And, like always, Roxas could handle them easily, so long as there was enough time for him to prep some of his more advanced skills.

The higher the floor, the more the Nobodies outnumbered the Heartless, and Reah didn't like the thought of what would happen once they made it to the top. There would probably only be Nobodies there, and her usefulness would be limited.

Still, she had to try. It was the least she could do.

* * *

That day, most of the lower floors were clear, making their ascent easy. Once they had reached the thirtieth floor, that progress had grinded rather substantially to a near halt, and Roxas's actions seemed to get more forceful with each fight. Reah made it to the thirty-third floor before she started lagging behind her leader, and even walking at a normal speed made her breaths come out ragged.

"Oi," she called. She hadn't breathed properly, and her voice didn't cover any helpful area, meaning Roxas continued on at his usual space. Reah took a deep breath, and tried again. " _Oi!_ " This time Roxas stopped, looking over his shoulder. "We've been going nonstop since we got here. Can't we take a break?"

Roxas blinked, for a moment the usual bright look in his eyes coming back. Reah relaxed immediately, sheathing her blades as the boy dug into one of his pockets. Finally pulling out his cellphone and assessing the screen, Roxas said, "Sorry about that. I completely lost track of time." Taking a quick look around to make sure she didn't set off any combat triggers—the monsters were fairly consistent with the areas they guarded—Reah sat down against the wall. "I'm gonna go scout ahead a bit. Why don't you rest and I'll come back when I clear a path?"

Reah bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't like the idea of splitting up from Roxas. At all. Still, this was the castle, so there would be no convincing him otherwise, and she nodded. "Just don't go too far," she warned. Roxas could handle himself in a solo fight, but Reah couldn't. If he went too far, she really would be all alone. "You know I get antsy having you out of sight in here."

"I know," Roxas said, giving a reassuring smile. It was so warm, Reah could have believed they were back at the school, talking about homework. Only the blaringly obvious setting made it difficult for such a thought to be convincing. "Don't you worry. I'll just clear out the next corridor, so I'll be in earshot distance. Call if you need me, and I'll call if I need you."

"Okay," Reah agreed. Roxas picked up his keyblade, then took a turn to the right. Reah had only memorized the lower floors, but he had somehow managed to learn the whole map by now. If it weren't for the monsters, Roxas would have no trouble running up to the thirty-seventh floor with his eyes closed.

Reah leaned her head back, resting it against the concrete. It wasn't the most comfortable way to rest, but her legs and arms didn't care. Roxas was really something else, being able to keep going like that. Then again, Reah had never been trained to be a warrior, and only had a few self-defense courses that she had barely passed under her belt. School-mandatory gym classes were the only developers of her limited endurance.

But she had wanted to be like this. Not exactly a hero, but pretending to be one. A sidekick. She had a partner she could trust, even if he kept secrets and could be single-minded at times. No matter what, Roxas would stick by her and help her out.

There was the echo of a shout, far enough away that it sounded like Reah had submerged her head underwater. She sat up, and a second shout followed, except it wasn't her name. When the third shout came, she knew it wasn't Roxas's voice. Fumbling between gripping her daggers and getting back on her feet, Reah looked around, hoping to figure out what direction the sounds had come from.

Down the opposite end of the hall and at the entrance to one of the other corridors, flames licked the floor and arced into the air.

 _That's not how Roxas's magic works and none of the enemies on this floor use fire… S-someone else is in the castle?!_

To Reah, this was nothing short of a miracle. All her years, the thought of someone being able to enter the castle was inconceivable. Roxas was the only person she had met that had even _thought_ of conquering the castle. And yet, there she was, on the thirty-third floor with someone else strong enough to survive this far.

 _That's why the other floors were so clear!_

"Haaaah!" This time, the sound was closer, so Reah could hear it clearly. It was a battle cry, its intent clear. A large Nobody came barreling out of the corridor the flames had been in, and crashed against the wall in a flash of silver. On instinct, Reah moved to serve as a counter, but immediately pulled back once she saw the glow of blue light flash.

"Fuck!" she cursed, before she realized it was a waste of time. Out of all the Nobodies she had encountered, this one was the worst. It was skinny and looked fragile, but it was a verdant magic user, capable of healing itself and other enemies and wasn't limited on attack options, either. The worst part, though, was its summoning capabilities, which could easily turn any battle to a nightmare by bringing forth more Nobodies and Heartless to the fight.

A capability it had just used.

Reah blinked a few more times, trying to regain her vision. When she did, she knew it was all over. She was too worn out to be of any real use in a fight, and one of the newly arrived Heartless charged at her, making a square impact with her stomach. Reah flew back, collapsing onto the floor, the wind knocked out of her. Every cell in her body was screaming for her to breathe, but she couldn't, and she wheezed for air.

From the corridor, a new figure stepped into the fray, brandishing weapons Reah couldn't be bothered to remember the name of at the moment with her lungs deprived of oxygen. If she could have talked, she would have told him to run away before he got himself killed, or maybe cursed him out for letting the enemy multiply. Seeing as she couldn't, Reah tried to focus on regaining her air.

"Man, that's a cheap move you got there," the figure remarked, voice distinctly male and far too light given the situation. "Guess that means you're scared."

Great, a trash talker. Reah would die to the soundtrack of unnecessary monologues.

The only good thing about this situation was, for the time being, that the Heartless had forgotten her, instead focusing on the newcomer. A total of five Heartless and Nobodies charged at once, and the Nobody that had brought them there was charging up another spell. Reah closed her eyes. She had seen a lot in her seventeen years, but she didn't want to see someone else die.

Except there wasn't the scream of pain she had been waiting for. Reah chanced to open an eye, and could see the newcomer's weapons brandished, all six of the enemies knocked back, vulnerable. There was a smirk on his face, and Reah could feel the heat from the fire forming before she visually registered it. Not wanting to get caught in the spell, Reah ducked her head to the ground, hood pulled over it, _praying_ that Roxas had remembered to reinforce her gear with element resistant spells.

The fire rushed by, and Reah could smell smoke. When she lifted her head a bit, there were scorch marks on the floor. Given the fact that she hadn't been burnt to a crisp, she owed Roxas a big thanks. She tried to sit up, but failed to do so when a hand grabbed onto the neckline of her jacket, lifting her from the ground. She had regained control of her breath at some point, but it was gone all over again, fear constricting her lungs.

"Well," said the voice of the one who had saved her, "it looks like I finally found you."

* * *

Ah, this was supposed to be up last week. Well, I think I'm starting to figure out this time management thing...

Anyway, this is one of those dream-inspired projects so, that's where the weirdness comes from. I'm also not completely up to date with everything _Kingdom Hearts_ , so I expect there will be some discrepancies. Still, this project helps me feel better when I write it, so I'm not all concerned...that's actually the main reason this is an AU.

...I don't think I've ever done multi-character shipping before, either. It should be interesting. Though the relationships are meant to be more subtle instead of the driving force of the plot.

I hope this self-indulgent little project is somewhat enjoyable! The next chapter should release on October 14!

* * *

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment  
Scene II: "Taking out your problems on other people isn't a very attractive quality."

[POST] 091615


	2. Act I, Scene II

**50**

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene II: "Taking out your problems on other people isn't a very attractive quality."

* * *

Reah didn't want to admit it, but she definitely squeaked. The guy that had picked her up was way taller than her, and her feet dangled in the air with no chance of reaching the ground. It wasn't a position that she had ever really been in before, and panic twisted her stomach up with her other organs, making her queasy.

"Alright," the guy said, settling Reah down on the floor so that they faced each other, "it's about time you and I had a talk." Even though he had let go of her jacket, his hand was still on her shoulder. Reah looked up, her gaze meeting up with almost flashing green eyes. The guy's hair was sticking up in several directions at once, an orange-red that made Reah's eyes hurt in comparison to the rest of their surroundings. Though the thing that bothered her the most was the jacket he was wearing, black with silver adornments.

The exact same as the one she was wearing right now.

"Wait a minute, you're not Roxas."

 _Roxas._

Reah was even more of an idiot than usual. Roxas had said to call if she needed him, and she had spent an entire fight failing to do her job or cowering in a corner. Already, she felt like she was going to collapse, and now there was a stranger mistaking her for her partner. Sure, she had put her hood up and they were about the same height, but this was stupid.

Reah took a quick step back, shaking the redhead's hand from her shoulder. " _Roxas!_ " she shouted, her voice echoing.

Immediately, footsteps approached, loud and pounding. The redhead turned his attention away from Reah to the corridor behind him, and the girl took the chance to step back even further. Within seconds, Roxas was in the hall, keyblade bared, and he charged forward before stopping short of colliding with the redhead's weapons, raised in a guard. Peaking around the guy's shoulders, Reah took the time to recognize them as chakrams.

"Oh, there you are," the guy remarked, sounding completely satisfied. "What's the deal? I thought you gave up on having a partner and decided to run solo from now on. Change your mind?"

"What are you doing here?" Roxas spat out, none of his tension gone whatsoever. For the first time, Reah was seeing the boy angry—genuinely _angry_ —his face contorted with eyebrows tightened and teeth bared. Finally, his eyes landed on Reah, and she tried to give her partner a reassuring smile. "You know what, never mind. Reah, we're leaving."

"Wh-what?" Reah stammered. She could almost _feel_ her eyes widening. Roxas only ever left the castle if he was exhausted or when they cleared a new floor. At the moment, neither were true, and even the redheaded guy seemed to be in shock. "I know I'm a little worse for wear, but I can keep going! Though I guess I could use one of your spells about now…"

Her rambling didn't do anything to stop Roxas from walking towards her, the hall behind her being the one they had walked down less than fifteen minutes ago. He was planning to leave, and Reah got the sense that he wanted to go badly enough that he would drive off without her if she wasn't in the car when he got there. Reah looked back to the redhead, unable to read his expression.

"Thank you for the save," she said, then ran off after her partner.

* * *

"So who was that?" Reah asked, idly running her finger over the armrest imbedded into the car door. Roxas hadn't said a single word the entire time it had taken to get back to the bottom of the castle, and he had fought every enemy by himself. Reah hadn't gotten the healing she had asked for, and there was a sensation that felt like bruising on her stomach where the Heartless had charged into her. She would be lucky to make it to school the next day, given that her body would most likely demand to sleep in.

"Trouble," Roxas said, staring at the road as always. With the time they had spent at the castle, the sky was darker, but not quite yet at nightfall. It was only when they had slipped back into their world that Rhea had realized just how far off from the school they had driven, and it would probably be some time before they got back.

Rhea frowned at the one word response. "Really, is that all you have to say?" she said, sitting up properly in the seat. It was hard to read Roxas's expressions in profile, so she leaned as far forward as the seatbelt would allow her to, trying to get a better look. "Come on, Roxas, I know there's a lot of things you don't wanna talk about, but this is getting ridiculous. What if that guy comes back while we're trying to clear the castle? I gotta be prepared."

She had hoped there would be some sort of understanding come onto Roxas's face. Instead, he looked as stoic as he did once they were inside the castle, and Rhea could feel her insides twisting up like a maypole.

Usually, when they left the castle for the day, he would at least smile a little.

"It's nothing to worry about," Roxas said, flicking on his turn signal. "If he comes back again, I'll take care of him."

"But what if I'm _alone_?" Rhea persisted. She didn't like to think about things like that, but she didn't know what else she could do. As hard as Roxas tried, there was always a chance they could get separated, especially with the way fights were increasing in difficulty. It would only take one wrong move, and then what? Rhea could have easily died earlier. If the redheaded guy was as dangerous as Roxas was making him sound, didn't she deserve to be prepared? "You don't have to carry everything by yourself, you know, Roxas. I want to help you out."

Roxas remained silent. Even with her newfound vantage point, Rhea couldn't really read his expression. It was like he was hiding something, but it was so well done that not even a trace of it showed up on his face. Rhea tried to be patient, but waiting didn't make words come out of Roxas's mouth any faster.

After a solid three minutes of nothing, Rhea deduced that Roxas was ignoring her.

"Why don't you just talk to me?" she said. Her voice came out higher than usual, but she didn't care. There was a spark of _something_ on Roxas's face that meant he had at least heard her. Rhea kept going. "I'm really grateful for everything you've done for me, Roxas, but I can't _take_ this anymore. We've been trying to get through the castle together for almost a _year_ , and you still won't tell me _why_.

"I'm sick of having to sit around and pretend like I'm okay with you keeping secrets!" By now her voice had risen to a shout, but Rhea didn't rein it in. "It's driving me insane, Roxas. I get that I'm not any good in a fight and serve the purpose of being cannon fodder, but at least give me _something_. What are you so afraid of that you can't even bother to open up to me?! Well—"

Without warning, Roxas slammed on the breaks. The catch kicked in on Rhea's seatbelt, saving her from smashing her head against the dashboard. The rest of the road was empty, not a single other driver on it. Rhea sat up, expecting Roxas to keep driving, but he didn't, and the car sat in the road in a part of town she didn't recognize.

"Get out," Roxas said, not even looking at her.

"H-hold on a minute," Rhea protested, her pitch going from far above speaking volume to just below it in a few seconds. "You can't be serious. You know I don't know my way around here, Roxas. There's no way I'd make it back to the school before curfew…"

"Get out," he repeated, and the tone of his voice let Rhea knew that this was something he wasn't going to change his mind about.

She started shaking before she could think to control it, and then she just gave up. Her teeth gnashed against the inside of her cheeks, tearing up the skin. Already she felt cold, freezing, even though it was just early fall. Not wanting to see his face anymore, Rhea slammed her eyes shut, desperately forcing her breathing to stay normal and just barely succeeding.

 _This… This isn't fair!_

Her shaking fingers failed to undo her seatbelt the first two times, then accomplished their goal on the third. Roxas had already unlocked the door, and Rhea opened it, stumbling out. She didn't even bother to grab her gear from the back, just tried not to trip on the edge of the curb and taking a few extra steps before half-lowering herself, half-falling to her knees.

 _You said that it wouldn't have to end like this again…!_

There was the sound of her door slamming shut, probably by Roxas. A few seconds passed, and then the car sped off, without her. Rhea didn't look back. Her hands stung from their impact with the concrete, but it didn't matter. She didn't have the strength to walk anymore, and she wouldn't have been able to find her way back to the school otherwise. Her throat burned, and hot tears finally broke out of her eyes, followed by a sob.

… _Why did I let myself believe you?_

For the first time in the year since Roxas had brought her here, the clouds poured down their rain.

* * *

Rhea settled for curling up in a ball on a sidewalk, not caring that she was soaked. She'd probably end up sick, too, but it didn't matter. She was stuck with the same sort of result, no matter where she went. It was the same thing over and over again, so just waiting until she wasted away on the sidewalk was as good as an answer as any. She had already cried her throat raw, and she wondered when she would just pass out already.

It hadn't taken much to recognize that the area she was in wasn't very populated, even with the houses she could see a few streets away. That was the problem with the town: it was too big for its own good, and there weren't enough people to fill up its buildings. It was the complete opposite of her old town, where even people with money overflowed onto the streets.

Even a year wasn't enough to cope with it all.

Rhea had a cell phone. Roxas had convinced her to get it, for emergencies. He had said to use it if she ever needed him. Well, Rhea needed _someone_ , and it wasn't going to be Roxas. She didn't even bother to pull out the phone. Roxas's was the only number she had in her contacts. No one else at school even talked to her, though that was her own choice.

Rhea now recognized her behavior as one thing: idiotic. She had been so afraid of getting hurt again, she had only opened up to one person. She had thought that would have made it easier if it didn't work. But it didn't. It only made it worse, because the one lifeline Rhea had had was now gone, and she was falling.

"So, it looks like he tossed you off, too."

Of all things, it had to be a joke. Rhea looked up anyway. Sure enough, the same redhead from the castle was there, standing on the street, a backpack slung over his shoulder. Rhea went to scoot away from him, but stopped. He had saved her in the castle. Even if Roxas said he was trouble, Rhea couldn't help it.

 _Just give me someone to talk to._

"Do you know how to get back to the school?" Rhea asked. Her voice sounded hoarse. She went to stand up, her socks and shoes _squelch_ ing uncomfortably. Even Roxas's magic couldn't stop her jacket from being soaked through. All she wanted right now was to go to her dorm and take a hot shower, maybe even sleep through her classes tomorrow.

"I do," the guy said, sounding nonchalant. "But I don't think that's where you really want to go."

Rhea flinched. She didn't know where else she would go. Her optimistic trust was on the edge. Was it really that big of a deal to just go back to the school? "Where else would we go?" The guy smirked a bit, and Rhea noticed the small tattoos underneath his eye. He was looking more and more like a punk each second. "Though I guess if you're trying to hit on me, it's kind of pointless considering I don't know your name."

Even if she was suffering from rebound syndrome at the moment, she wasn't going to let herself be taken advantage for it.

The guy snorted, leaning forward a bit with his laughter. The rain somewhat weighed his hair down, but it persisted pretty well in sticking up. There must be some powerful product to pull that off. Even his jeans were freaking tattered, now that she looked at them. Fucking combat boots, too. "Well, I guess you're not as outwardly willing to show that you're down, but I can tell," he commented. Rhea gritted her teeth. "Taking out your problems on other people isn't a very attractive quality. Got it memorized?"

For a moment, Rhea considered punching him. Then she remembered that this guy had cleared thirty floors of the castle on his own. "You're not very good at listening, now are you?" she settled for retorting. Just because he was right about her state of mind didn't mean that she had to show it. "You didn't answer either of the things I wanted to know."

It hurt. Everything hurt inside of her, like claws raking at her lungs. She didn't care too much, but she pursued an answer anyways, because it was better than doing nothing.

"Though, for starters, I guess I'll bite," he allowed. "My name's Axel. Got it—"

"Rhea," she interrupted. In addition to monologuing in fights, he even had a catch phrase. Rhea didn't have the patience to deal with either. If he tried again, she would try and find a way back to the school on her own, even though she probably would get even more lost in the process. And if she passed out on the side of the road, then that was what she got.

Axel didn't look impressed, but he had an odd expression on his face. "Alright then," he said, something akin to slight annoyance in his tone. Rhea ignored it. "I guess we'll move on to your question then. Have you ever heard of the Fifty-Minute Room?"

She didn't even think before shaking her head. Rumors had never been her thing in the first place. When Roxas had invited her to the school and helped her settle down, Rhea had done everything she could to keep away from them. If there was some weird nonsense floating around the school, she wasn't even aware of its implied existence.

Axel's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and then it was gone. He scratched at the back of his neck, not quite making eye contact. Rhea just glared in response. "Well, I guess that makes this sound crazy then. But I'll just get to the point. If you want a place to go and recover where no one can really bother you, then I can help with that."

"You've being annoyingly vague."

"Gah, just wait a goddamn minute!" Axel protested. Rhea folded her arms back across her chest, hoping to make herself feel warmer. Water just got wrung out of her jacket and trickled down her stomach instead. "Okay, fine, nothing I say is going to convince you, I got it. So just get out your cell phone and I can show you."

Rhea wondered if her cell phone would still work. Even if it did, this sounded like some cheap scam for Axel to give her his number. She pulled the phone out of her pocket, pressing the power button, then waited for it to start up. Despite her worries, the screen flashed to light, covered in rain drops. If this was a stupid scam, it would at least make her contacts a little less lonely.

"Whoa, that's a pretty retro model you got there," Axel said, leaning over to look at it. Rhea let an angry exhale out her nostrils, then pulled the phone back to her chest. So what if it was an old model? It didn't need a touch screen or twenty different apps when all she was gonna do was call for help. "Easy there, Princess. It's just been a while since I've seen something like this."

"My name is Rhea," she grumbled. "Why don't you memorize that?" Not even waiting for a response, she looked back to her phone. It had fully powered up in the time for their short exchange, and the battery was still full.

Because she had never really had a need to turn it on before.

Axel plucked the phone out of her grasp. "Hey!" Ignoring her shouts, the redhead proceeded to press buttons. He was tall enough that Rhea couldn't see what he was doing, either. "Give it back! You could have just _told_ me what to do, you know!" What if he broke it? It was still a gift from Roxas, so she needed to keep it in good shape.

"Yeah, yeah, here," Axel drawled, dropping the phone into Rhea's waiting hands. She scrambled a bit, then wiped the gathered raindrops off the glass. Axel had pulled up the call screen and inputted a number. "Just go ahead and call that. You'll have all the time in the world to think things over then."

"What the hell's with this area code?" Rhea protested. In fact, the whole number was strange. It even had more than ten digits. There was no way it would process properly.

Axel only smirked, pulling his own phone out of his pocket. "Why don't you call it and find out?"

Practicality told Rhea not to, but curiosity and sheer exhaustion won out.

She pressed the call button and raised the phone to her ear.

* * *

Alright, here we go, one new chapter. And it's not even lunchtime yet!

Thanks to Shiranai Atsune and Savage Kill for their favorites, follows, and reviews! I come up with so many indulgent projects I'm glad people seem to like them...Hopefully I can hear from you guys again!

In any event, that's the introduction taken care of! Now we get into the parts where this seriously derived from a dream and the title should make some sense (maybe). Even I'm not sure the title makes sense to be honest.

Looking at my handy dandy update schedule, it might be some time before we see an update on this. Though I'll definitely be working on it on the side. It's a really comforting piece to mess around with.

And don't forget: if 's your thing, you can find the link to mine on my profile. Any bit helps, and I think I have some decent rewards set up...

Next time:

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment  
Scene III: "Well, I guess that makes me nobody then."

[POST] 101415


	3. Act I, Scene III

**50**

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene III: "Well, I guess that makes me nobody then."

* * *

The sound of the number being dialed left a string of beeps far longer than any ordinary number. Still, it seemed like the number had been accepted, and there was the click of the line being connected. There was no ringing after that, only silence. Rhea scowled, pulling the phone away from her ear, ready to hang up, already engaged in the act of criticizing herself for falling for such a stupid prank.

In the street in front of her, sat a dark blue limousine, and Rhea almost dropped her phone.

It had definitely not been there a second ago, and she hadn't heard it approach, either. But its engine was running, the headlights were on, and the front passenger side window slid down, revealing a young woman in the driver's seat.

"Are you the next guest for the Fifty-Minute Room?" she asked.

"H-hey, what the hell is this?" Rhea asked, turning to Axel. The spot on the sidewalk where the redhead had been standing was now empty. Rhea looked around, but there wasn't any sign of him there, either. He wasn't _anywhere_ , even though the rest of the neighborhood was the same. Even the rain hadn't stopped, and the dry spot that had formed from her sitting on the sidewalk was slowly getting encased by raindrops.

The only thing different was the redhead's disappearance.

"Ah, I see that you're a first-timer," the girl in the driver's seat remarked. "This car is the transportation to the Fifty-Minute Room. My name is Dew, and I am responsible for your transportation there and back. You did call the number, correct?"

Rhea looked back to her phone, the call screen still open, the line connected. Yup, she had called it all right.

"In that case, I would appreciate it if you would make a decision," Dew said, sounding like she had read Rhea's mind. Then again, maybe her expression was just too easy to read. "You are not the only guest that needs to be picked up today, and I would prefer not to be late to their call if they truly need it. So would you please get in or disconnect from our services so that I may continue?"

Rhea swallowed. Something in Dew's voice implied that she was a bit frustrated, but Rhea couldn't help it. She hadn't asked for this sort of treatment—Axel had forced it on her. Beyond that, it felt like some drug trip. Something like this just couldn't have been real, and was probably a trap.

 _Oh get over yourself. You and Roxas fight—well, fought—monsters in an alternate dimension all the time. Who's to say there aren't other worlds and creatures out there? Just because you've been living in a world with limited magic doesn't mean it's not there._

Rhea stepped towards the limo's back door and pulled open the handle. From what Dew had said, Rhea had expected to see several other people inside, but there weren't. There were just seats along the back walls, all lined in dark blues and greens. A window towards the front slid open, and Dew's face was visible through the opening.

"Feel free to sit wherever you like," she said. "We will go once you are comfortable. Afterwards, we will arrive at the Fifty-Minute Room shortly. Please feel free to ask me anything to make your ride more enjoyable."

Rhea climbed into the car, the door shutting behind her. She took the seat closest to the door, and Dew's compartment slid shut. For looking like ordinary cushions, the seats were more comfortable than Rhea's bed, and definitely outclassed Roxas's car. She could probably fall asleep without any problem. Just sitting down reminded her of how exhausting everything had been.

It reminded her that Roxas had driven off without a care.

"Dew," she said, and the window slid back open, "just what is the Fifty-Minute Room like?"

"It is something best witnessed for yourself," Dew answered. In the rearview mirror, her eyes glanced back, almost flashing gold. "As for the basic instructions, my employers have a particular penchant for explaining those details themselves. It is not often that we get newcomers, and they would be rather disappointed if I were to take that opportunity away from them."

"I see…" Rhea mumbled, and the window slid shut.

* * *

It couldn't have been more than five minutes since Rhea had stepped into the limo that it came to a halt. The window slid back open, and Dew actually leaned over the seat to address her passenger. "We have arrived at the Fifty-Minute Room," she announced. "Please enjoy your stay. I will be prepared to escort you back to your point of origin at any time you need so."

And the passenger door opened.

Rhea immediately had to squint. There was nothing but a bright white, and after being in the dim light of the limo, her retinas were unprepared. Any sense of being able to fall asleep had disappeared. Even feeling awake didn't do anything to improve her ability to stand properly, and Rhea more fell out of the limo than she stepped out.

A hand grabbed onto her arm, keeping her from hitting the floor. It was a man with a smile on his face and dressed in a button up and khakis. Something about him seemed distinguishable, but there were no words for her to describe it. "Watch your step," he said, just the right mix of concern and chiding in his voice. "Oh, dear, you look exhausted. No wonder you decided to come here. I'd normally ask you to take a seat, but we have another guest arriving soon, so would you mind coming with me to the next room?"

Rhea nodded. As long as it meant she got to rest soon, she didn't care. Whether the man thought she needed the help to even stand or just considered her clumsy, he didn't let go, helping her walk across the small room. There were several white armchairs along the sides, all empty. Rhea pressed on with the man to a (white as well) door, which led to an open room with several other doors on the side and a couch and coffee table in the middle.

It was only about five steps to get there, but they took almost everything that Rhea had. Finally, she sunk down into the couch, which was even better than the seats in the limo. It was almost like a cloud or a marshmallow—minus the sticky bits—and she just wanted to stay there forever.

"As difficult as it may be, I am going to have to ask you to stay awake just a few minutes longer," the man said. "It is our policy in the Fifty-Minute Room that all first-timers must be aware of the rules, as to optimize their stay, as well as the stays of all our guests. As such, please hang in there with me. I could get you some tea, if you like."

Rhea only shook her head. Tea would only keep her awake for hours on end.

"Very well. Welcome to the Fifty-Minute Room. My name is Sir, and I will be your host," he introduced. He accented the words with a hand folded across his chest and short bow, very much like a butler. "Your hostess is my wife, Madam. She is currently occupied with greeting our next guest, but you will see her around.

"The purpose of the Fifty-Minute Room is to provide a refuge for anyone who needs it, regardless of their situation, occupation, or point of origin. The services of the Fifty-Minute Room are free in terms of money, so you may stay as long as you need or like without worries. That being said, there are a few long-term guests here who are trying to recover from some disparaging circumstances, so please respect their problems as much as you want them to respect yours and try to maintain a quiet atmosphere.

"The only compensation we ask for here is fifty minutes of your time. You may stay here as long as you want, but fifty minutes will have passed from the time that you called us to enter. This amount remains the same no matter what. If you stay here for weeks, years even, only fifty minutes will have passed. If you stay here for a lesser amount than fifty minutes, fifty minutes will still have passed. Do you understand?"

Rhea nodded. Maybe all the fine little details hadn't completely processed, but she got the gist of things. She could probably ask questions later, too, or at least she hoped so.

"Any additional questions you should feel free to ask at any time, but please understand that we may be preoccupied and not able to answer immediately," Sir continued. "That being said, you are free to use your time here as your wish, and we will do our best to accommodate you as we can. Please enjoy your stay, Miss Rhea."

"Oh, so you made it."

By now, Axel's voice was familiar. Sir turned, and Rhea leaned sideways to see past the host. Amidst all the white, Axel managed to stick out as much as he did in the castle, his dripping hair blazing, a towel around his neck, the black of his jacket making an impact against Rhea's eyes, though she wasn't sure if it was welcome or unwelcome. Behind him stood a woman in a light pink blouse and a tan skirt, her face giving off the same indescribable quality as Sir's.

"So do you plan to explain this to me properly or not?" Rhea said, even though her voice was weak. "You just gave me that number without any pretext and sent me off."

"Hey, hey, you didn't have to call it. You didn't have to get in the car, either," Axel retorted. Rhea held her breath for a second. Just because it was true didn't mean she still couldn't be angry. "Besides, I _asked_ if you knew about the Fifty-Minute Room. I thought everybody knew that rumor."

Rhea wanted to yell, but Sir's request to keep things quiet made her hold her tongue. "Well, I guess that makes me nobody then," she grumbled.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, dears, but you are both soaking wet," the woman—that Rhea assumed was Madam—said. Somehow, Rhea had adjusted, but having it said out loud only reminded her. She shivered, and even Axel looked uncomfortable. "Why don't we get you two a change of clothes, and then you can continue your conversation?"

Axel shrugged. "Sounds good to me," he agreed before looking to Rhea. "What do you think?"

"Yeah," she said. "Sounds good."

Rhea hesitated before taking off her jacket. Sure, it was soaked all the way through, and she really did need to change, but she couldn't just leave it out to dry in an unfamiliar place. Sir had said that he and Madam wanted to make the best experience, but he had also mentioned other guests. Rhea's suspicions about Axel aside, there was no guarantee the others were friendly. What if one of them took the jacket? What would she do then?

"Oh geeze, come on," Rhea murmured, pulling the jacket over her head along with her drenched shirt. "It just looks like an old, worn out hoodie. No one's going to care about it."

The jacket had seen better days—namely, before Rhea had gotten her hands on it. Roxas had given it to her for when they went to the castle, joking that it had special powers since it matched his own. In reality, Roxas could had placed charms on it to give extra protection, especially since both Heartless and Nobodies had the potential to wield magic, and Rhea was prone to that sort of thing. The year of battles and casted spells had worn down the fabric, but it didn't matter.

It was still a gift.

"If you want, I can put your clothes through the wash for you, Dear," Madam's voice said. Rhea jumped, turning around to the room's entrance, clutching the wad of clothes to her chest and sending a fresh trickle of water down her stomach. The hostess, while present, had her eyes closed, but Rhea still flushed. "At the very least the dryer."

Rhea mentally relaxed her tensed up muscles. Tension was never good in a fight, and even less so in hardly threatening circumstances. She kept her fingers tight around the jacket, though, not wanting to let go. Roxas had already dumped her on the side of the road. She _couldn't_ lose his gifts, too.

"I could also provide a few hangers to let your clothes air dry," Madam continued. "You'd be able to keep them in your room. Of course, our laundry services are private, and no one would have access to your belongings." Madam tilted her head to the side. It looked like an unconscious motion. "What will it be, Dear?"

The familiarity was what did it. The room Rhea was in had clothes of every conceivable size, color, and type. Near the front was an empty laundry basket. She threw the wet pile of clothes into the basket before she could change her mind. Madam waited, not saying another word and Rhea found sweatpants and a plain t-shirt to sleep in. She ducked behind a curtain along the right wall, changing. There was even a towel, soft and feeling like it had just come from the dryer. She kept her underwear, but everything else was tossed into a sopping pile, including her shoes. When she was done, Rhea gathered her things, grabbed a fresh pair of socks on her way back to the entrance, and left her laundry to the basket.

The feeling of fresh clothes was almost heavenly. It took changing for just how miserable Rhea had been to register. Everything felt warm and comforting, and she yawned, covering her mouth with a hand.

Madam picked up the basket. "We'll return these to your room once they're done," she said, a warm smile on her face. Rhea nodded, feeling the need to doze off more than before. "That being said, I'd like to apologize. We were unaware that a new guest would be coming, so we haven't made the necessary room to house you. If you don't have any complaints, we would like to have you share a room with another guest for now."

Madam kept her smile, but a trace of minor regret was in her eyes. Rhea could care less so long as the next room she was shown had a bed she could collapse into. "It's fine," she said, and she could _hear_ how tired she was. "I just wanna rest. Where do I go?"

"This way." Madam turned toward the door, and Rhea followed. The halls were white and seemed identical, but she wasn't paying much attention, either. They stopped in front of a door, and Madam knocked. She must have dropped off the basket at some point, because both of her hands were empty. "Here you are, Dear."

"Thanks." Rhea tried to give the woman a smile, and opened the door. Predictably, the room was white, but had the most furniture, even if she didn't register what they all were—dresser, couch, _bed_ , who cared after that? Rhea looked around for her supposed roommate, then turned around to face Madam.

Except the woman was gone and Axel was sitting in the room.

Complaining would do no good—Rhea had agreed. She had hoped to share a room with a girl, but she could deal. It had sounded like Axel had come here before, plus Sir and Madam sounded like they wanted to give their guests the best possible situation they could. They wouldn't have put her in a room with Axel if he was going to make her too uncomfortable.

Rhea closed the door. "I get the bed," she said. She didn't have the energy to make it sound authoritative. Axel seemed just fine on the couch, and if it was as half as comfortable as the one Rhea had sat in earlier, he would have no problem sleeping in it. Not even waiting for a response, the girl walked over to the bed, and did her best to get into it without falling over. It was only partially successful, but it would be stupid to try a do-over. "I'm going to sleep now."

Axel shrugged. "Do what you like," he said. If Rhea read his tone right, he didn't care in the slightest. The redhead made some hand gesture, and the lights dimmed, only really illuminating the couch and table area. Rhea got under the covers, turning her back to him. The light didn't make it to the other side of the room at all, white replaced with black, and the blankets were just as warm as they needed to be. Even the pillow supported her head without agitating her neck.

It was exactly what she wanted. Sir and Madam hadn't been kidding when they had said service.

"And we're gonna talk tomorrow," she mumbled, her words starting to slip into each other. "About what you're up to. And what you were doing." It didn't make much sense. Rhea gave up on talking.

"Whatever you say," Axel responded. She couldn't tell if he had even heard her properly. She probably wasn't going to remember much when she woke up, even after orientating herself. It didn't matter.

But other things did. The castle mattered. Getting tossed out of the car mattered. Roxas mattered, and so did all his secrets. Even in her exhaustion, the feeling that if she had known at least some things, _one_ thing, then she wouldn't be in the Fifty Minute Room, wouldn't be in the same place all over again.

 _Good job, you did it again. You're way too clingy._

With a resigned sort of depression, Rhea fell asleep.

* * *

 **[Avi's Reviving Yet Another Story Notes]**

I feel a tiny bit guilty that chapter three was sitting around in my files for a while. But it's posted now, and that's what matters! Plus there's more on the way. Not much more exciting than that, right?

Thanks to Savage Kill and Disney-for-the-Iron-Throne for the review and follow! I appreciate the interest!

I'm not gonna make excuses as to where I disappeared to, but I will say this: I have several chapters of this story written, and they'll all be releasing over the upcoming weeks! It was a lot of fun getting back into the mindset of this story, and I'm excited to share the outcomes with you.

On a self promotion note, you can find writing updates and info over on my Twitter, **Plot K Bunny**. Now all that's left is to wait for next week's update:

Act I, Scene IV: "You always that exhausted after storming the castle?"

Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[08.28.2017]


	4. Act I, Scene IV

**50**

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene IV: "You always that exhausted after storming the castle?"

* * *

Rhea opened her eyes, trying to sit up. She felt refreshed, which was definitely wrong considering she and Roxas had raided the castle the previous night. That meant she had slept past her alarm, which she hadn't heard go off. Roxas had a spare key to her dorm room, and would wake her up if she did sleep in, and that hadn't happened either. And no matter how late they stayed up in the castle, Roxas always seemed full of energy.

So where was he?

Blinking, Rhea tried to see through the darkness. "Actually, where am I?" she muttered.

"The Fifty Minute Room," Madam's voice said. The room sprang back into light, completely blazing white, and the woman was at the bedside. Rhea jumped, pulling the blankets closer to her, everything registering. She exhaled, tempted to just sink back into the mattress and sleep until she felt better.

Maybe if she slept long enough, she could convince herself she wasn't alone.

"I can escort you to get changed before you eat," Madam continued. "Preparations for your own room have also been completed, so I could take you there whenever you like, Dear." The woman smiled, and Rhea looked around the room.

Wherever Axel was, he wasn't there. And Rhea wasn't about to sit around in such a bleak looking room all by herself.

Rhea nodded her approval, and Madam gestured for the girl to follow. Now that her eyes weren't threatening to fall shut and stay that way at any given moment, they were protesting at just how bland everything was. She couldn't see any light bulbs, but whatever was illuminating the place could use a dimmer.

"If you don't mind me asking, is there a reason the décor's so blinding?" Rhea asked. She tried to keep any tones of criticism out of her voice, but it was hard. She glanced at Madam's face. The woman's expression was completely neutral, not particularly seeming pleased or insulted by the question.

"I'm sorry about that. You see, not only was your room unprepared, but our comfort databases were not set to include any new data. The Fifty-Minute Room is set up to analyze and tend to the needs of our guests in every way possible. Now that our system is ready, and that you're awake, it will begin to analyze your reactions and preferences. In an hour, any place you encounter in the Fifty-Minute Room will then automatically adjust in your perception to your comfort."

Databases, huh? "So it's technology and not magic?"

Madam smiled, the faintest trace of mirth across her otherwise imperceptible expression. "It's technology enhanced by magic. We find this works best in accomplishing our goals." Rhea didn't even have the passing thought before Madam continued, "There are a number of times in life where people need a refuge, Dear. My husband and I know that better than anyone. We were fortunate enough to be able to provide that for others, so we couldn't pass up the opportunity."

With that bit of personal information and the trust that came with it, Rhea didn't have the heart to press further.

"You're too kind, Dear. Now, feel free to choose any clothes you like. If you wish to retrieve your clothes from yesterday, I can provide them again."

They had entered the laundry room from before. Sure enough, Rhea spotted her hoodie hanging close to the back changing room and dashed towards it. The rest of her clothes were folded beneath it, and she changed. A bath would be in order soon, but she couldn't deny the rumble for food in her stomach.

"Ready to go," she announced, fully dressed again. Once more, the clothes held the warmth of a fresh dryer tumble, increasing the comfort she got from Roxas's gift.

 _Roxas…_

Madam gave Rhea a moment before stepping into the hallway. Unlike the castle, the layout in the Fifty Minute Room seemed much simpler, though it was more of a commune than a single room. Rhea couldn't complain much if what Axel said about the place was true, plus boarding seemed free. If anything, she needed to focus on finding the red-haired boy and figuring out just what the hell he knew about what was going on.

She was in luck, her target sitting at a table, an empty plate in front of him. He had changed from his dark hoodie, but you couldn't mistake that hair of his. There were a few other people, sharp bursts of color striking out against the white tables and walls, but Rhea didn't pay any mind to them. Madam gave a reminder to eat and directed Rhea to the order window in the back before stepping off. Keeping her eyes on Axel, she complied.

"Good morning," Sir's voice sang, ducking his head through the window, a plate already waiting in front of them. Waffles with strawberries. Rhea hadn't thought much about what she wanted for breakfast, but seeing it she knew this was it without question. "We do aim to please, after all. Don't worry about any request being far too extravagant. We can provide without a doubt."

"Thank you," Rhea said, too stunned to come up with anything else. The exact way the Fifty Minute Room read her thoughts bordered between creepy and impressive. Ducking her head to Sir in appreciation, Rhea went to corner Axel before he ran away.

She didn't need to worry, the redheaded boy toying with a butter knife between his fingers. Rhea passed up the other empty seats and claimed the side of the table across from him. "Ah, so you're awake," he said. "You were completely passed out when I got up. You always that exhausted after storming the castle?"

Rhea felt the blush on her cheeks and ducked her head. Her stamina was way less than what was necessary for the castle, and Roxas's kindness had been the reason he brought her along. She had gone to the castle in an attempt to run away, and he had asked for her help, even brought her to school with him. A year had passed, and Rhea had grown comfortable with the arrangement.

"Yesterday was emotionally exhausting," she corrected. Getting up to the thirtieth floors hadn't been tiring with the path Axel had cleared for them. Getting thrown out by Roxas did more damage than any Heartless or Nobody could inflict. "But I'm rested, so I have questions. You agreed to answer them last night."

She couldn't say she was better, because she wasn't.

Axel nodded, dropping the butter knife into the rest of his silverware with a clatter. Rhea picked up her own fork and took slow bites of fruit and waffle in an attempt to stop her stomach from revolting. "What I was up to and what I was doing, right? Which one of those questions do you want answered first?"

Rhea frowned. What an anal guy. They were pretty much the same thing, but she had been the one to ask in her half asleep state. "You were looking for Roxas," she settled on. And had mistaken her for him to boot. "I tried asking him about you, but he wouldn't answer me. So how do you know each other?"

Axel's eyes flashed with hurt before he reset his expression. "Going right for the tough ones, huh?" he attempted to joke, but even Rhea could hear the catch in his voice. "Well, I used to do what you did. Roxas and I would raid the castle together, trying to get to the top."

Rhea reached for the plain glass Sir had provided on her tray and took a drink to hide her grimace. Cool milk burst over her taste buds. The idea of someone else in her place dragged icicles down her spine. Roxas had replaced Axel with Rhea, and would replace her with someone else. "What happened?"

"We encountered powerful magic on the forty-fifth floor." Rhea couldn't even imagine the challenge of five floors higher, let alone more than ten. Then again, from what she had seen, Axel was a far more competent fighter than she could be. Reaching that high would be easy when paired with Roxas. "It was aimed at me, but Roxas took the brunt of it. I don't know what all it did, but he doesn't recognize me anymore. No matter what, he thinks I'm someone else."

Silence held over the room, even with the other guests. No one else in the room had sat close enough to each other to talk, and guilt surged at Rhea's heart for making Axel speak about a sensitive topic in such an open space. "Should we…um…move somewhere else?"

"Nah, it's fine," Axel drawled, sadness still coloring even his dismissive words. "You need to eat, plus no one else can hear anyway. It's part of the privacy magic on this place. The only way you can disturb someone else is by getting in their face."

Rhea nodded. Sometimes it was just better to accept the rules of magic than question it too hard. While she could afford that luxury to the Fifty Minute Room, Axel couldn't afford that to the spell that had affected Roxas's memories.

 _At least with that, though, there's a chance of undoing it. I just opened my big mouth a bit too much. No counter spell's gonna fix Roxas hating me._ The memory of getting thrown from the car threated tears with a sting in Rhea's eyes. She shoved a forkful of waffle into her mouth to create a pause in the conversation.

When she felt like she could talk without sobbing, Rhea redirected the conversation. "So why did you come back, then?" Axel looked to the ceiling in thought. For Rhea, it was just pure white, but to his comfort algorithm, maybe it was more interesting. "I fought with Roxas in the castle for almost a year, but we've never run into each other before."

"That's 'cause I needed time to sort myself out." Axel tapped a finger to his temple. "I'll admit, it took me longer than it should have, but I finally realized that sitting around and sulking wasn't going to get me anywhere. So I thought I'd take a shot and see Roxas again." He shrugged with a grimace. "It didn't go well, as you saw, but I'm not giving up yet."

Rhea stared down at her half-eaten plate, wishing for that kind of resolve. She felt like nothing more than giving up. No matter what, it seemed she was meant to be abandoned. Sticking to her guns would have done better, but Roxas had been so kind and open—he had _saved_ her, and she thought that meant things would end differently.

 _Clearly not._

When she looked back up, Axel frowned. "So what I'm trying to say is take your time. Roxas can make it far in the castle, but making it to the top on his own is difficult. You don't have to rush." He gestured to Rhea. "Focus on yourself for a bit. You'll feel better."

"And what, I'm just supposed to sulk around for a year like you?" Rhea snapped before she could think otherwise. "I'm not going to waste my time on being alone and miserable." If that were the choice, Rhea would rather get hurt over and over again. "Just because you were too much of a coward to get Roxas back doesn't mean I'm going to be."

Axel stood, his height towering over Rhea. She didn't balk and glared right back, grinding her fork into the breakfast plate. Rhea had poked at a sore spot and she knew it. Beyond depression, a sharp anger jabbed at her common sense, ready to pick a fight, even if she would lose.

"That's the thing," Axel said, fake joviality sticking to his words like haphazardly applied glue, "it doesn't _have_ to be a year. Figure out what it is you need and get yourself back together before Roxas forgets you, too. Got it memorized?" And he picked up his tray and dropped it off in a dish box Rhea hadn't even noticed before sulking out of the room.

Rhea ground waffles between her teeth, but it wasn't enough to take off the edge.

* * *

 _Rhea made it up the first hill before she stopped running. Her lungs begged for air. Behind her, the town with no name sat nestled between rolls of land. A few lights were on across the buildings, dim pinpricks against the darkness. Above head, the constant full moon peaked out behind hazy clouds, backlighting the castle above her._

 _The castle had appeared one day when Rhea was a child. It was far back enough in her memory that she couldn't remember the details. Since then, the people of the town had become accustomed to it, and, after the first handful of explorers had failed to return, didn't approach it. The castle served as a common ghost story, but not even reckless teenagers would approach it on a dare._

 _Which was why Rhea was headed there._

 _She was tired, very tired._

 _She didn't want to be found._

What's the point when everyone's just going to throw me away anyways…?

 _The town with no name was small and had limited resources. Rhea had been lucky enough to be born into a family with a home and some stability, so she had lived a comfortable life in comparison to others. She had thought that walking around town would build enough energy to make it to the castle, but that had been proven wrong._

 _One hill in, and there were still several to go. Rhea wanted to rest, but even in a world of constant night, the people would awake in time. The hill she stood on rested to close to town, within foraging distance and in line of sight. She needed to move further in before her parents realized she was gone._

Don't stop. Don't give in.

 _Rhea pushed forward several more hills up, each elevating higher than the last. Her legs burned, but Rhea kept walking, soon making it to the final hill that the castle rested on. Stopping there would be safe, but Rhea started the climb anyway. After coming so far, she didn't want to stop. The path winded around the base of the castle hill, spinning her view in circles as she tried not to look down._

 _Making it to the top, Rhea fell over, close to the edge. The smell of soil accompanied her attempts to reclaim air. She could make out her town, a faint blur of yellow nestled between rolling hills of shadow. No other towns rested in the distance, an isolated world. The castle stood as the only other marker of civilization, and no one seemed to live inside._

 _Rhea rolled onto her back, looking up at the structure. It stood just as impressive as it looked from the town, several spires and buildings interconnected, orange light flickering behind its windows. Unlike the town, with its small magic-run electricity hub, no artificial lights hung in this place._

 _Whatever the danger that had prevented the return of the townsfolk, it wasn't on the path there. The trouble had to be inside._

So that's where I'm going.

 _Rhea didn't know what to expect, but she didn't care. Once she could stand without her legs trembling, Rhea moved closer to the castle. Lit torches flanked both sides of the wooden door, flames sending jumping light down on the stairs to the entrance. Rhea took one step at a time, pausing when she reached the door._

 _This was the chance to turn back. And she wanted to. She wanted to go back home, apologize to her family for worrying them, talk to her friends and fix things. She wanted to stay in the town with no name and live a happy life, like everyone else._

" _I can't…" Her voice cracked. "I can't go back. Not when…"_

 _Not when her "friends" were going to leave her behind again._

Just like always.

 _Rhea struggled as she pushed open the door, her shoes catching traction on the floor with each step. Once inside, she found an empty hall, more lit torches lining the walls. The place looked empty enough. Maybe it was as empty as everyone had guessed._

Maybe they don't want guests and you're about to find out why no one ever comes back.

 _Fear and disgust fought a battle in her stomach, but the refusal to go home won. Rhea went to push the castle door back into place, and it closed much easier than it opened. Just to check, she tugged on the handle, and it opened a crack before Rhea let it close into place again. She could get out if necessary. It made stepping forward easier._

 _The walls swirled in on each other, building a blocky maze. Rhea wandered, stumbling upon a set of stairs before meeting any people. Coming from a town where the tallest buildings were three stories high, she had no sense of how big the building was from the outside. Rhea gripped the handrail and used it as support for her failing heart and legs._

Maybe I'll just be stuck wandering in a maze forever, _she considered._ Maybe I'll find everyone who came here before and got lost, living in a new community. Maybe it'll be better, and we'll stay here forever. With so few people, we'll have to rely on each other.

I won't get left behind again, then.

 _The thoughts soothed Rhea's concerns as she stepped into the entrance to the second floor. For some reason, the stairs only connected the two floors. More stairwells must've rested further in. It was an inefficient design for such a large building, but Rhea didn't care. She would keep exploring this castle, or she would collapse trying. Those things could only happen if she stepped forward._

 _And so she did. Until she rounded a corner and small black creature with bulging yellow eyes charged at her, slamming into Rhea's stomach and sending her head cracking against the stone castle wall._

* * *

 **[Avi's Semi-Tired Notes]  
**

I feel ya, Rhea, last week was rough for me, too. I just don't have a magical time-defying alternate dimension to go rest in. I'd say you got the better deal here.

A fantastically huge thank you to Savage Kill for the review on last chapter! I know it's been some time, but I'm glad to see you still have enthusiasm for the story. I'm not giving in yet, so I hope you're ready for what all's to come!

This time, we finally poke at what happened with Roxas and Axel, plus take a look back at Rhea's first expedition into the Castle. There's more to both of these tales, but whether or not they'll talk about it is anybody's guess.

Next Scene: "For you, that's the _value_ you place on fifty minutes."

Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[09.04.2017]


	5. Act I, Scene V

**50**

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene V: "For you, that's the _value_ you place on fifty minutes."

* * *

By the time Rhea finished eating (it was delicious, despite her souring mood), the Fifty Minute Room's comfort whatever had finally kicked in. As such, the dining hall morphed into what Rhea could best surmise as a combination of the school's cafeteria and kitchen of her former home, most of the walls in varying shades of blues, all brighter than the sky. The furniture stayed in the muted brown range.

Familiarity stung Rhea at recognition, before she realized that the surroundings _did_ make her feel better, and stepped back into the hallway to find her new room. Presuming it to be in the same direction as Axel's, she set off down the hall, which had undergone a similar change. The carpet remained plush under her feet.

A few people passed, heading towards the now cafeteria. They all came from the same direction, bolstering Rhea's confidence that she had chosen the right route. In particular, a man with shaggy pink hair and a woman with her blonde hair in pigtails caught Rhea's eye, both too old to attend her school.

Like the town with no name that Rhea came from, the town Roxas had taken her to was equally peculiar in that it didn't have enough people to fill its buildings. Aside from the few teachers, Rhea hadn't seen many adults in the time she stayed there, and even less people who lived there. Temperies was the same sort of sad in-between world that didn't have a solid purpose unless you needed it.

The Fifty Minute Room reminded her of that, too, just so much more isolated and condensed. Rhea held no expertise in how the worlds worked, but the place around her gave off the same quiet vibe as the other two she had lived in. She couldn't decide whether to be sad or comforted by the fact.

Soon enough, she stumbled upon a hallway where each door bared a nameplate. Rhea hadn't seen any such thing when she woke up, but perhaps that was part of the change, too. Axel's room was close to the end of the hallway, the one to the left baring the name _Saix_. To the right, Rhea found Sir (despite just having been in the kitchen when she had left minutes ago) hanging up a fresh nameplate and dusting his hands off on each other, satisfied with his work.

As expected, _Rhea_ was written across it in blue, the letters in a neat calligraphic script.

"Just in time," the nondescript man said. It seemed the visual comforts didn't quite apply to their hosts. Rhea didn't mind too much, but she would need more time to adjust. "Again, we're sorry about the delays, but everything should be set up now. We hope your stay in the Fifty Minute Room will be even more enjoyable now."

Rhea stepped away from Axel's door, resisting the urge to pound on it. That seemed like it would be against the rule of disturbing guests, and she didn't feel like going back to school if she got kicked out. "Don't worry about it," she said, stepping inside her own room as Sir opened it for her. "You've been helpful for sure. I'm imposing on you, so you don't have to go overboard for me."

Sir shook his head with a soft smile. "The satisfaction of our guests is how we keep our business running after all. If you feel our comfort programming is lacking in any way, let us know and we'll make adjustments accordingly."

Rhea didn't know how to feel about being so pampered. Even in the town with no name, she had never experienced something like the Fifty Minute Room. The Temperies dorms didn't compare, either. The place she stood is was a singular experience.

"How _do_ you keep this place running?" she mused, crossing over to the couch in the center of the room. In shape, her new room reflected her dorm room in many ways, down to the furniture. The main difference was in the size it covered, with double the floor space. Extra furniture, such as the couch, filled in the space in an arrangement similar to the pure white set that had been in Axel's room. The colors matched the rest of her Fifty Minute Room perception, dashes of yellow thrown in to spice up the mix.

Sir considered the question from the doorway. Realizing he wouldn't move without permission, Rhea gestured for him to come inside. Sir crossed the threshold to the room, but not much further, letting the door close behind him.

"In which way do you want to know?" he asked, determining the question too much to be answered without clarification. Rhea guessed she had been rather broad. "A number of aspects go into managing the Fifty Minute Room. I don't mind answering your questions, of course, but I don't want to bore you with the details."

Rhea dropped down onto the couch, folding her arms behind her head and stared at the ceiling. The image of a blue sky, clouds drifting over its surface, met her. "I guess like…financially?" she tried. "You don't take money, but you have all this stuff and food to give us. Seems like an extensive charity if you ask me." Heck, if there were places like this and Temperies, the amount of people clustered into the town with no name seemed unfair.

"Ah yes." Sir put his hands together, the fingers creating a steeple against his pastel colored sweater. "Miss Rhea, how much value would you say you put into fifty minutes of your time?"

"Huh?" Rhea looked to her new bedside table, which held an alarm clock identical to the one in her dorm room. It didn't display any numbers, though. "Well, I guess… That's a class period. Or lunch hour? Or like…ten lower floors of the castle, five higher ones." It was a sunny afternoon's relaxation, a car ride with Roxas, looking for the distortion into the castle.

Sir nodded, crossing farther into the room. He took a seat on the opposite couch, keeping the dull wood coffee table between them. "So for you, those are the things one can accomplish in that period. For you, that's the _value_ you place on fifty minutes." He drew his finger over the table, glowing yellow lines creating images of the tasks she had mentioned. He circled them, then drew an hour towards the new image of an analog clock. "By sacrificing that time, you are losing the opportunity to accomplish these things. That value powers a deeper magic, and that is the core of our energy and resources."

Rhea screwed up her face, trying to put together the logic. "But aren't we…gaining time by being here? You said no matter how much time passes inside, it's just fifty minutes for the guests outside." Sir nodded. Rhea pointed to herself. "I mean, _I've_ already been here for several hours. This is totally a better deal for me to just hang around here and catch up on sleep."

"That may be true, but would you be able to attend class or traverse in the castle you mentioned while here?"

"No, I wouldn't."

"And _that_ is what you're sacrificing by using our services." Sir tapped each golden image in turn before they went up in shimmering sparks. Watching a projection of herself vanish wasn't very encouraging. "Of course, the value you place on the specific amount of time you give up to us is less important than the concept to yourself. Not that your perception of the matter changes how we process your payment." Sir stood and gave another bow, hand to his chest. "If you don't mind, Miss Rhea, I have other work to attend to. But don't hesitate to call on me or my wife should you need it."

"Oh, yeah." Rhea sat up straight, glancing at her knees in embarrassment before looking up. "Thanks for answering my questions. Really—"

But Sir had already vanished, and Rhea was alone again.

* * *

 _Pinpricks of pain and light assaulted Rhea's eyes. She gasped for air and slid down the wall. With her spotted vision, the black creature almost blended in with the shadows. It wasted no time in diving for Rhea again, a small but sharp tackle striking into her stomach once more. The blow carried enough force to make the girl cough up a thin trail of saliva and bile._

 _For a moment, her thoughts held regret and fear. And then survival instinct kicked in like an upset horse, and Rhea lashed out at the black creature. Her palms struck the side of its head, sending it tumbling backwards to the opposite wall. It twitched, then jumped back onto its feet, tilting its large antennae while pupil-less yellow eyes observed the person who had just attacked it._

 _Rhea caught enough wind to scream._

 _The screech made the creature hesitate, and Rhea scrambled up onto her feet. She bolted down the hallway, but, not having any intentions to turn back before, didn't know the path she had come from. Rhea rounded corners at random, putting space between her and the creature, its footsteps fading several halls later._

 _Rhea propped herself up against a wall, failing to take controlled breaths to get her airflow back. Her legs still burned from the climb up, but she refused to sit. If the creature found her again, she didn't want the disadvantage of being prone. Tears pressed hot lines down her cheeks, adrenaline and regret spiking her heartbeat._

I was wrong…

 _She didn't have much practice in fighting other than scuffles as a child, and she hadn't watched anyone to even have a guess of what to do. She hadn't brought anything for protection, not even a knife. She had almost grabbed one upon leaving, but had chosen not to._

 _That amount of hesitation should have tipped her off where even her check that the door to the castle was still open had failed._

 _Small footsteps approached. Rhea clasped her hands to her mouth, trying to stifle her sharp breaths—or sobs, she wasn't sure anymore. Her palms pressed shaky imprints of sweat onto her face. She didn't know what the creature was, but it had attacked her with intent. Her stomach still burned from the impact. There was a chance it could kill her. No._

 _Rhea had walked into the castle knowing it_ would _kill her. And now she wanted out._

The door didn't lock behind me. If I can just get downstairs, I can get out. I can make it.

 _The creature's footsteps continued, but Rhea could tell what hallway they were coming from thanks to the echoes. She slipped off her boots, goosebumps trailing up her legs at the press of the cold, stone floor against her feet. Keeping her steps light, Rhea headed in the opposite direction of the creature. For now, at least, putting distance between her and the enemy held the priority._

 _Rhea checked around each corner before she rounded it. Every few minutes, she paused to listen in. After what felt like the eternity of a nightmare, the footsteps faded. This time, Rhea had kept track of her path and began to retrace her turns. She could do this. She just needed to stay calm._

 _That calmness almost shattered when she checked around her next corner to find that the creature had a friend._

 _Beside the strange black creature stood another one, identical in size, shape, and form. Or maybe the one that had attacked Rhea was elsewhere, and the ones in front of her were two new ones. She preferred the first option, as it kept her enemy count to two. Rhea pressed her back against the wall, stopping her boots before they could smack into the stone and give away her location._

Damn, damn, damn…

 _Panic tore her mental map, already shoddy at best, into complete shambles. Had there been another way back to the stairwell? She couldn't say. Everything blurred together, and nausea threatened to upend whatever Rhea had left in her stomach. She swallowed hard and prayed that when she checked around the corner again, the creatures would be gone._

 _They weren't._

 _If anything, it looked like they were conversing amongst themselves, and a soft chittering reached Rhea's ears. She didn't understand a bit of it, other than the creatures collaborating couldn't be good for her. Left without options, Rhea backtracked once again, choosing another hall in hopes that it would lead her to a stairwell._

 _Which it did. Just one that was going up instead of down._

" _You've gotta be kidding me," she whispered before she could stop herself. Rhea's boots slipped from her hands, thumping against the floor. The sound echoed in the hall, competing with the rush of blood to her ears. No matter how Rhea tried to look at it, going up wouldn't help. She needed to go down to get out, unless there happened to be a window facing outside she could jump from._

 _The thought brought Rhea sinking to the ground and curling into a ball._ I made a mistake. I'm sorry. Please save me. Please take me home. _She muffled her fresh cries into her knees, not wanting to be found by the creatures even if sitting still was just making it easier for them._

 _Sure enough, the advance of small footsteps crept up the hallway. Rhea looked over her shoulder to find a cluster of the black creatures approaching—five sets of bulbous glowing yellow eyes, five monsters. Rhea forced herself to stand, back to the stairs. The hall ran in a straight line, all exit blocked by the black creatures' march. Several sets of dangling antennae twitched, and the monsters chittered, as if deciding an attack plan._

 _Then the one at the forefront charged forward, hands raised just enough that Rhea could see the short points they formed at the end as it leapt straight at her. She had imagined a number of scenarios of her end before coming to the castle, but that had not been one of them._

 _It had been what she had wanted, though._

" _But I don't want to die!"_

 _The cry surprised Rhea, as did the twack of her boot crashing into the creature's head. It smacked against the wall, twitching from the impact. The rest of the creatures reacted, all rushing the girl head on. Armed with only footwear as a blunt weapon, Rhea spread her feet, ready to hold her ground._

Don't be afraid. It's not your time to go yet.

 _The calm words echoed in Rhea's mind, the voice of a girl she had never heard before. It spoke with kindness. Relief and confidence fell over her mental state, even as the monsters started their own attacks. Rhea shouted in defiance as she struck out, knocking two out of the air just as she had done the first. Her next swing went broad, and the third creature scratched a long, thin, stinging line through her shirt and up her forearm. The last of them attempted to tackle Rhea's leg, and she kicked it in the face, feeling only a cold, dark sensation against her skin._

You should retreat. It'll be too easy for you to get overwhelmed like this.

" _But the only way out is the stairs…" Rhea protested, fending off another blow. As much as she hated to lose ground, losing her life stood as the other option. No matter how much she struck at the creatures, they still stood up, and the outnumbered her five to one._

 _She didn't need combat or tactical training to know the odds were_ not _in her favor._

If you go upstairs, I promise you'll be safe. There's someone very kind and strong up there. He'll help you get out.

 _Rhea sunk her elbow into the next approaching creature's stomach, taking steps back as she could without letting down her guard. Listening to a disembodied voice counted close to stupid, but her whole plan in coming to the castle had been stupid, really. There wasn't much other choice to be had in the moment._

 _Taking a risky move with turning her back, Rhea spun around and sprinted up the stairs, a gash of pain scouring down her calf in the retreat._

* * *

To Axel, the Fifty Minute Room had always been bathed in the peaceful orange glow of twilight. So long as there were empty walls, windows let in the faint brush of fading or growing sunlight. The windows didn't open, and the outside beyond them just an illusion, but Axel felt at peace in the atmosphere regardless.

It had been here that he had recovered.

And it had been here that he had found—

The redhead snorted at the new door next to his. For the longest time, his room had lied at the end of the hallway. With Rhea's arrival, the halls had expanded to make room for her place. Her door reflected faint light off its cream surface, just like all the others. He thought of knocking, but decided against it. Judging by her reaction at breakfast, she was still hurt from the loss, and he wouldn't do much to help.

That much, Axel could understand, so he respected it. For the time being.

 _Why did I invite her here? Why did I think that was necessary?_ He kept asking himself that, even if the answers were obvious. This girl had known Roxas in the year between. In the year while Axel had spent more time sulking and coming to terms than anything else, she had stood by Roxas's side and fought the best she could. She had filled in the gap where Axel once stood.

He wanted to know what had happened. How Roxas had been. What he had accomplished. Both inside the castle and out. Rhea was the key. Axel wanted that time back.

 _You can't get back the time you give to us, Dear,_ Madam had said a year ago, when Axel had first arrived. _That's our absolute rule._

Axel had memorized it, beyond a shadow of a doubt. He knew exactly what it meant for his past, present, and future.

But that wouldn't stop him from trying otherwise.

* * *

 **[Avi's Running Out of Clever Comments Notes]**

Chapter five shouldn't seem like such a point of celebration, but I'm glad we made it to this milestone nonetheless.

Thanks to Savage Kill and patamon642 for the review, favorite, and follow this past week. I'll keep the chapters coming in turn!

I'll admit, pulling together these chapters so they would have _just_ the right amount of content was tricky. I do think the flow came out nicely, considering.

Next Scene, "They won't respawn here for a while." will be up next Saturday. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[09.11.2017]


	6. Act I, Scene VI

**50**

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene VI: "They won't respawn here for a while."

* * *

Rhea knew lying around and sulking would just make her feel worse, but she lied around and sulked and let herself feel worse anyways. When she dragged over to the bed and flopped into the soft covers, the lighting dimmed down to a peaceful dark blue, just like it had done in Axel's room. A faint bruise had formed on her stomach from the Heartless attack. Roxas would heal their wounds at the end of the day, but he had skipped over that in his foul mood.

 _You'd think by now I'd know better than to leave my gut unguarded._

Her fingers poked over the wound, staring at the darkened sky across the ceiling. The clock broken, time slipped away without a way to track it. Could this whole event really take place within fifty minutes? When magic was involved, Rhea assumed anything was possible, but it still seemed hard to wrap her brain around.

"Well, the usual idea is to have breakfast in bed, but we do aim to please after all."

Madam had entered the room without a noticeable sound. Rhea jabbed her own wound as she sat up, grunting. The smell of pasta and alfredo sauce stirred up the dull thrum of hunger to accompany the fresh wave of pain. Madam balanced the meal tray on one hand and produced a small support table from the air, green fragments sparking at the edges. The featureless woman wasted no time in completing the setup, giving Rhea easy access to her meal.

Lunch in bed. Just as promised.

"Thanks, but you didn't have to," Rhea mumbled. Her appetite argued otherwise, so she picked up the fork. Less subtle in smell, pieces of chicken made the dish look all the better.

"Tut, tut, Dear," Madam scolded, not moving from her place beside the bed. "You forget that we have access to your idea of comfort here." Considering Rhea has seen its effects, it was a stupid thing to forget. Then again, with thoughts of Roxas, maybe it was the logical result. "I'm afraid I can't abide by a request to neglect someone. Not when their thoughts say otherwise."

Rhea grimaced as she chewed. As much as she could, Madam looked concerned. "It's fine. Just a bite of pepper," the girl lied, even though it was pointless. Sir and Madam had long since proved their ability to see into her mind. She couldn't tell whether to be relieved or terrified. "So no matter what, the things I really want will happen here."

Madam nodded, keeping her hands folded behind her back. "Yes. Within reason, of course."

So that meant that, no matter what she wanted, Roxas wouldn't appear here. The Fifty Minute Room could only help those inside with themselves. With that being the case, Rhea felt she would be inside for a very, very long time. _And I went and ridiculed Axel like that._ No, he had been a jerk about the situation. But then again, she had been just as bad back.

The hostess of the Fifty Minute Room stood by, not stepping away. Unlike her husband, her business must still have been by Rhea's side. Trying her best to follow the magic logic, Rhea put the pieces together.

 _I want company, I'm just being too insecure to reach out for it._

That had always been the case. When Rhea had been left behind by her friends, she went home and cried about it. A bit older, when plans had to be cancelled, she spent time by herself. The last time in the town with no name, she had ran away to the castle.

And now, so it followed a year later, Rhea's actions repeated once more. Being left alone meant the next stage was to abandon everything else, so it didn't hurt.

Roxas had stopped that the last time. But now—

 _Axel._

Rhea pushed tubes of noodle around her plate, eating half of what stuck to her fork. Meaningless patterns formed in the sauce before seeping shut. "You mentioned that we can't bother other guests as part of the rules, but Axel said something that we can't be perceived by them?" she chanced. "What does that mean?"

"Ah, the comfort algorithms." Madam tapped her fingers across her chin. "As you guessed, you have my company now because it's part of your desires. For others, some want and require solitude. For those that can withstand being seen, they will be, and those that don't want to be hidden. You will never encounter someone you don't want to, and the same will apply to you."

 _So if Axel really is pissed at me, I'll never see him again._ What a comforting thought. But then again, she had seen others present, and there were a number of rooms in the hallway outside. She could, in theory, reach other people.

If she had the guts at all for that.

"This is in a way connected to the perception function," Madam continued, following a train of thought Rhea hadn't even realized she was having. "The Fifty Minute Room never turns away a guest, regardless of the current capacity." Rhea's own presence served as proof. "In order to prevent an overstimulation, not all guests are visible to you, even if they are present. If you were to enter a room, such as the dining area, but your perception of it were small, you would only see a number of people that could fit in that space, even if more were present."

"Right…" Madame opened her mouth again at the confusion, but Rhea held up a hand, the other massaging her temple. "It's okay. I don't need to know everything about this place. Thank you for trying to help, though."

Madame smiled with a small bow. "You're welcome, Dear." Rhea focused on eating the rest of her plate. The woman had to have better things to do than sit around and entertain her all day.

 _Figure out what it is you need and get yourself back together before Roxas forgets you, too. Got it memorized?_

Rhea bit into her fork, sending a sharp sting up her molars. Never mind Axel being too pissed to see her. She might be too pissed to see him. Rhea scarfed down the rest of her plate, feeling the slightest bit of energy. "Hey, there's got to be places for entertainment in here, right?" No one person could pass all their time doing nothing, even wrapped in an aura of comfort. The urge to move would overcome them sooner or later. Madame nodded. "Which direction? I think I need to stretch my legs."

The hostess perked up at the request, gathering Rhea's dishes the second the girl dropped her now empty glass of apple juice to the tray. "Back towards the dining area. There's several doors. With your programming complete, you should be able to figure out which one is which easily."

No longer in danger of knocking things over, Rhea shuffled out of the bedcovers and hopped to the floor. Unlike Sir's sudden disappearance, Madam crossed to the door and, still balancing her meal set up, opened it for Rhea as she approached. Rhea nodded her thanks and headed down the hall, fiddling with the silver strings of her hoodie as she went.

* * *

 _Rhea's feet slapped against the stairs, and she almost slipped as the fresh trickle of blood leaked down to the sole of her foot. Her palm caught against the floor, but she managed to push herself around the bend and to the third floor. The halls looking near identical to those before them, Rhea prepared to run as fast as she could still manage._

Wait. You don't need to go any farther.

" _But they'll still be coming after me." She mouthed the words more than she spoke them._

It's okay. They can't move past the staircases.

 _Rhea paused. It seemed unbelievable, but there hadn't been any sign of a follow-up attack. Using the nearby wall for support, she turned around, expecting to see an eruption of black limbs, waiting for the sting of pain. Neither came. Cautious, Rhea took small steps forward, boots still clutched in her hands and ready to swing._

 _Several minutes must have passed. Still no monsters, no death. Given she had followed the voice in the opposite direction she needed to go, she might as well trust the advice given. It was believe or become trapped._

" _Okay," she agreed, though she didn't dare look down the stairs further. Whether the monsters were stupid or something about the castle kept them from advancing, Rhea didn't want to chance stepping into their range. "So which way do I go now?"_

 _The voice remained silent, though Rhea's ears popped._

 _The girl kicked at the floor, wondering if the voice just needed a moment to figure out directions. The floor scraped at the bottom of her foot, and the sting of pain from the cut in her leg resurfaced. Rhea swiped her palm against the wound, blood sticking to her fingers and soaking into her pant leg. The cut was shallow, and the flow had already stymied. It would need cleaned to avoid infection, but she'd otherwise be okay._

 _Rhea rolled up her pants midway up her calves, ready to put back on her boots, but stopped. Running around without proper support didn't bode well, but the footwear served as the only weapon she had. Wearing just one would throw off her balance. Not willing to go without some form of protection, Rhea sighed and hefted her boots up in one hand._

 _The girl's voice hadn't spoken again._

 _Rhea focused on double-checking her surroundings._

 _Like her precursory glance, the hall did look identical to the one below it, down to the one-way staircase Rhea had come up. Lit torches hung from the walls, but lacked any smell of smoke or burning. There were no windows from her position. It would have been nice to have a clue of how deep into the building she was, but there were no distinguishable landmarks._

Well, the girl said someone up here would help me get out. _Assuming it wasn't a lie or that Rhea hadn't hallucinated the whole thing. No, she needed to stay positive._ But who the heck would come into a place like this? There's no way someone lives here. Not with monsters all over the place. _Rhea hadn't even come across a proper room once._ This castle just appeared one day. What in the world is it for?

 _If she had had those answers, she wouldn't be standing inside now. She would have found another way to disappear. Rhea shuddered at the thought and stepped forward. She wouldn't find anyone by just standing around. And on the off chance that more monsters passed by, she at least didn't want to be cornered between them and the ones on the floor below._

 _Rhea kept her right hand to the stone wall as she walked, boots dangling from her left. She kept her steps quiet and once again paused every so often to listen. Now that she knew what dangers were in store, she wouldn't get caught off guard again. She would make it out of this, no matter what._

 _Her idle thoughts on what she would do when she returned home were cut off by the sound of a shout. Rhea jumped and pressed her back against the wall, eyes flicking to both ends of the hallway. Nothing appeared from the corners, but a second shout came from the direction Rhea had been heading, followed by a crash. She couldn't tell what had been hit or where, but something had made an impact._

" _Haaah!" When Rhea focused, she could make out the tone of voice to be tenor. Furthermore, it didn't sound afraid. Another triumphant shout echoed down the hall. Was it the boy the voice had mentioned? Curiosity and hope overrode any doubts, and she sprinted forward, following the growing racket._

Is he…fighting?

 _Fighting was the correct word for it. Catching up to the source, Rhea recoiled at the sight of several of the black creatures came into view, one the same shape but much bigger than the rest included. Facing them down alone was a boy swinging some sort of sword. A broad swing knocked several of the creatures out of the way, then he focused on one, striking it until it disappeared._

 _It had vanished._

 _Gone up in fragments of darkness._

 _The boy didn't stop. With another shout, he did the same to another monster before catching several of them in the following swing. The largest monster took the chance, swiping its claws at the boy and catching him in the side. Rhea gasped; the boy grunted and returned the hit, even as the smaller ones surrounded them._

 _Rhea tried to move, to swing her boots again in what little help she could muster, but her feet refused from fear. She tried to shout a warning, but her voice did the same._

 _It didn't matter. The boy retreated a few steps, then started up his assault again. If the monster's strike had done any damage, the boy didn't show it. He kept fighting at the enemies, taking them down one by one. Rhea stared in awe._

 _The voice had been right; the boy could help her get out of the castle._

But what's he doing here in the first place?

 _That didn't matter so much as what he could do for her. Rhea decided not to ask him, so long as he wouldn't ask her. It didn't seem like a pleasant conversation on either part. Her hope cracked as the largest monster got another hit in, this one sending the boy down and rolling across the ground._

 _The dam in Rhea's throat broke free. "Please! Get up!"_

 _The boy's eyes shot open, leaving Rhea stunned by their vibrant blue. The remaining monsters noticed her, too, torn between going after their downed opponent or new prey. Rhea stepped back towards her exit, but didn't regret her choice to speak._

 _The three remaining smaller monsters stepped towards Rhea. The boy moved faster._

 _His weapon—was that…a giant key?—flashed in the firelight, clanging into the nearest monster and scattering it into darkness. The next monster met the same fate. The large one, which had never abandoned pursuit of its original target, swung at the boy's back. He turned to dodge. The last small monster besieged Rhea, who stood ready._

 _The satisfaction of the impact left a grin across the girl's face, even if the monster didn't disappear like the others. She couldn't do much, but at least she wasn't entirely dead weight. The monster took another shot at her, and Rhea retaliated in kind. The larger black creature continued to swing at the blonde boy, but was stopped as he snuck in multiple strikes under its guard._

 _The large monster went up in darkness moments later, and Rhea knocked her enemy across the floor. The blonde boy wasted no time in defeating that one, too, and soon it was only him and Rhea in the room. They both caught their breath, staring at each other, in disbelief someone else existed in front of them._

 _The boy's stern expression from battle cracked as his eyes flicked over Rhea's leg. "You're hurt!" he said, crossing the room to her in seconds. "Sit down. I'll treat it."_

 _Unsure of what to do, Rhea stammered, "B-but the monsters." You knew things were a mess when fighting made more sense than actual human interaction. The voice from earlier, being disembodied, didn't count._

" _They won't respawn here for a while," the boy assured, already leaning down to attempt to look at Rhea's calf. "Please, let me help you." Overwhelmed by the fussing, Rhea sat down, heat burning at her cheeks._

This is dumb.

But he really is kind.

 _For a moment, nothing happened, though the boy mouthed silent words. "Cura," he whispered after a few moments, and a green light washed over Rhea. When it faded, her injury had closed and she felt much lighter, like she hadn't climbed for several hours to get to the castle before running for her life inside it. The boy smiled. "There. All good."_

 _Rhea nodded like an idiot, not sure of what to do next. She needed to get out, but it would be rude to demand something like that. Did she need to introduce herself? Did it matter? Just what was she supposed to do now? The voice from before didn't have any input to the situation._

" _Thanks," she decided on. A smile formed on her own lips without thinking about it. "I couldn't even hurt those things, but you took them out like they were nothing. You were amazing." She didn't even consider how her words could sound like empty praise to gain his favor. She was that impressed._

 _The boy grimaced a bit. "Ah…not really." Rhea looked away. Had she said something wrong already? "I just have the right tools for the job is all." That made sense. Comparing a boot to…whatever kind of sword he had been using didn't seem fair. Speaking of the weapon, it was already gone from sight._

 _Rhea decided not to ask. She'd experienced enough strangeness for one day._

" _But how'd you get up here?" Rhea stiffened at the question. "I mean, I know I cleared out the lower floors, but there still should have been some Heartless…" The girl relaxed, realizing the boy had meant inside the castle, not getting up to it. That made much more sense. "Oh, no, I'm sorry. I shouldn't bug you like that." He cleared his throat, then offered a gloved hand. "I'm Roxas. Thanks for helping me."_

 _Rhea let out a self-depreciating laugh before she could stop it. "I'm sure I wasn't much help." She tapped the side of her discarded footwear. "Boot warrior here can't do much here."_

" _You still tried," Roxas insisted, and Rhea looked at him. Really looked at him. Aside from his hair and eyes, which both stuck out as a rare dash of color in the castle, he was skinny, though a black and silver hoodie covered most of his physique. If she had to guess, he was close to her age, though the rounded edges of his face made it hard to tell. "You could've just used me as a decoy and moved on, but you didn't."_

 _She couldn't read the emotion in his voice, though it sounded an awful lot like hurt. Saying that she had been looking for him seemed to be the best option, but also would lead to awkward questions. Strategy had never been Rhea's strong point, even less so when referring to the social variety. So she put those thoughts aside the moment, and said what she thought she should._

" _I'm Rhea and…thank you for saving me."_

* * *

 **[Avi's Notes]  
**

Things seem to be moving smoothly.

Thanks to everyone who read this story in the past week. You guys are truly the best.

Next Scene: "Of course it's blank. Now stop making such a ruckus."

Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[09.18.2017]


	7. Act I, Scene VII

**50**

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene VII: "Of course it's blank. Now stop making such a ruckus."

* * *

Rhea found the described hallway just past the dining hall within a matter of minutes. Much like the guest room doors, the same blue met her eyes, yellow doorplates naming each location. Rhea poked her head into the library, the room just as quiet as the hall outside it. It didn't improve much over her situation in her room, but the chance of running into someone was stronger in a public space.

She had expected a replica of the school's library, but the shelves were made of an immaculate wood that shined in the pseudo (she assumed. There hadn't been any windows so far to prove her otherwise) sunlight. Lush green carpet supported her feet, curved staircases ran up the sides of the room to shelves and floors above, and the walls looked nothing less like Rhea had stepped inside of a very large and hollowed out tree.

"Wow," she whispered, frozen in the doorway for a moment. She shook her head, clearing out her awe for the moment, and turned the knob so as not to make a sound when she shut the door.

Even the air smelled like spring and bark and life. So far, the Fifty Minute Room had seemed like a very long and trans-dimensional hallway. The view proved the place had a vertical element to it, too.

 _Or is that just because it fits inside my perception of a comfortable library?_ Rhea didn't know where the thought could have come from. They didn't have anything like this in the town with no name. It sounded like a story Roxas would tell. _No, don't do that. You came here to stop being such an isolated pansy. At least read a damn book._

The girl climbed the first step of stairs, craning her neck to see the second floor above, its wooden railing preventing falls. The handrail under Rhea's palm felt like a fallen tree branch, somehow splinter free. She wondered if it was even possible to get hurt in the Fifty Minute Room, and decided she would rather not find out.

The bookshelves along the first floor had all been small two and three shelf affairs. Those on the second floor were a gulf away in comparison, and it would take a ladder to reach the top. Not having picked up a book in a while, Rhea decided to take a climb instead of puzzling it out.

The ladder looked thin, but it proved sturdy against Rhea's weight, not even bending. She dropped all thought while scaling the ladder, focusing on the churn of her muscles and keeping her breaths even. That much activity was easy in comparison to scaling the castle floors.

The spines around her flashed in brilliant color, a literate person's chest of jewels. Rhea stopped, plucking a book from the shelf without looking at the title. Hooking one arm around the closest rung of ladder, Rhea let the book open across her palm.

"It's blank?"

"Of course it's blank. Now stop making such a ruckus."

Rhea slapped the book shut so she wouldn't drop it, then gazed down at the source of the voice. She had climbed quite a far way up, and the person below her looked nothing more than an outline with gray hair. Not Axel, then. Rhea couldn't tell whether to feel grateful or disappointed.

Rhea tucked the book into her jacket pocket, then turned the face the bookshelf. She had remembered to grab her hoodie from the laundry, but not her gloves. She would have to ask Madam about them later. In their stead, she wrapped the ends of her sleeves around her hands before sliding down the ladder.

The rush of wind and gravity sent up Rhea's hair and hood. One of the jacket's silver drawstrings smacked her in the face. The impact with the floor sent a thud up from her body through the tips of her fingers, but Rhea brushed it off and turned to face her fellow guest.

He didn't look impressed.

Upon closer inspection, his hair seemed as much a mess as Axel's, just in the downward direction of a fringe covering half his face. Even so, he seemed a bit older than her. A white button-up stood out against the rest of his dark attire. A rather large book rested tucked under his arm, but Rhea couldn't tell what it was.

She waited for the guy to say something. He didn't.

"So, um…" Roxas led their conversations when Rhea got stuck. The guy didn't seem to follow the same approach. "I'm Rhea. Nice to meet you?"

The words weren't meant to be question, but they sounded like one anyways. "Zexion," he sighed, the harsh _x_ making his name carry more bite than Rhea hoped he had intended. "I can't say it's nice, but well met anyways. I'd heard we had a new guest among us, but I didn't expect to meet you here." From the tone of his voice, Rhea got the impression he hadn't wanted to.

 _Well, sucks for him. If he really wants me gone he can say so._ Rhea bounced on her toes and put on her best social smile. "Yeah, I got here last—" _Last night_ didn't quite apply in a place that existed in its own stream of time. "New arrival," she corrected. "But, hey, what were you saying about the books being blank?"

Zexion stared at Rhea for what felt like a good long while before relenting. "This library looks well stocked, but that's for appearance. The Fifty Minute Room runs off cognitive impulses. That includes the literature." He pointed to the volume sticking out of Rhea's hoodie. "That book can contain the exact same content as any of the other books here, depending on what you aim to read."

"Huh." Rhea thought of a picture book she had read as a child and plucked the book from her pocket. The cover didn't change from plain red, but its spine shrank in her hand, and opening it showed the colorful images, just as she'd remembered. Shutting the volume, she concentrated on the image of her English textbook, stretching the book's spine and tripling its weight. "Neat!"

"Yes, I suppose," Zexion said, though the slight quirk of his lips showed he was more in agreement than he lent on. "Overall, it's supposed to be a matter of convenience. This place has more of an…atmospheric quality to it otherwise."

Rhea nodded, thinking of a more reasonable volume to shrink her book down to. When it was pocket sized again, Rhea tucked it away and tried not to look too nervous at the conversation. "I get that. I thought this place would be peaceful…" Remembering the guy's earlier words, she frowned. "Sorry. Did I make that much noise?"

"Not as much as you're making now." Ouch. This one had a sharp tongue. "But even the smallest of sounds carries in such a quiet place. Do try to remember that."

"Memorize it, huh?" Rhea quipped before catching herself. Eh, fuck it, Axel wasn't around to poke fun at her anyway. Or whatever he would do. Even though they'd only talked enough times to count on one hand, she hated that she couldn't figure him out. "Well, if it's for convenience's sake, that big book isn't doing you any favors. What is it anyways?" At this point, Rhea couldn't tell if she was still talking to annoy the guy or because she was lonely.

 _Both, if we're being honest here._

Zexion gripped onto the volume in question. Had she hit a weak spot? He looked defensive. "This is from the outside, so it doesn't follow the same rules." Well, Rhea still had her phone, so bringing along personal items seemed to be okay. She wondered if there was a limit. "It's not something you could understand, though."

Rhea scowled at the implication. "Okay, just because I don't use a tome twice the size of my head as a security blanket doesn't mean I'm stupid," she snapped before she could think better of it. The girl trapped her tongue between her incisors to prevent further incident. Ever since Roxas had kicked her out of the car, the words of strangers all felt like personal attacks. Sir and Madam seemed to be the exceptions.

"And I never said you were," Zexion said, "though I may be considering it now." Well, Rhea deserved that one. "There are powers between the worlds that some people can access and others cannot. You are not someone who can access this." He waved the book across his chest before securing it back in place. "You cannot change natural aptitude without consequences. _That_ is what I meant."

"Oh." It probably had to do with magic, then. Despite Roxas's best efforts, she had never been able to pick it up, though that might have been since he wasn't the best teacher. Rhea tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "While I'm being rude and all, I might as well tell you that you could've worded that _much_ better the first time."

"I could say the same of you."

 _Touché._ "Well, if we're all done taking pot shots at each other's self-esteem, maybe we can make some progress." Rhea tried to grin. Yikes, still awkward. This was what she got for talking to one single person for a whole year. "You probably…just want me to shut up so you can get your peace and quiet back."

"Well, you could've worded that better the first time," Zexion said, with just enough levity that Rhea dared to think he had made a joke, "but in essence you're right. Time may be more relative here than other places, but I do use it as a refuge for my research. I'd rather spend my energy wisely."

"I got ya. I'll get out of your hair then." Which she probably should have done in the first place. At least the effort had netted her a new—friend? No, definitely not. Acquaintance, then. "I hope your research goes well." With a book that big and ominous looking, it couldn't be easy.

Zexion nodded, his expression ghosting over for a moment. Rhea hadn't been paying enough attention to read it. "Yes, I hope so, too. Do keep the noise down, will you?" he said, like she hadn't heard it the first time. Then he retreated along the bookshelf Rhea had climbed before disappearing behind its corner. Whether or not he planned to see her later was anyone's guess.

Rhea kept her mouth shut, not wanting to earn another scolding. But that didn't mean her thoughts needed similar filters. _Is it just me, or is everyone here a pain in the ass?_

Maybe it making that conclusion after talking with just two people didn't hold up very well, but finding a quiet corner to read in was more important than silly things like that.

* * *

 _For a moment, Roxas looked caught off guard by the words. Then, a smile blossomed over his face, fresh as spring flowers._

" _I'm glad I could help!" he said, like the praise meant the world to him. "I need to get to the top of the castle but…you don't have a weapon with you, huh? It'd be dangerous to bring you further in…"_

He's…trying to get to the top of the castle? No, focus. You need to get out. _"Sorry. I don't want to interrupt you, but…"_

 _Roxas shook his head. "It's okay. I wouldn't be alright with just leaving you here. Let's get downstairs and get you home."_

 _Home. The word stung worse than the wound on Rhea's wound had pre-healing. She knew her home lied between the hills, in the town with no name, but going back seemed like a defeat of some sort. She couldn't stay in the castle, though. She would die there. That wasn't what she wanted anymore._

I'll deal with home when I get there. But I need to get out first for any of that to even matter.

 _Roxas stood and checked over his jacket to get ready. Rhea tugged her boots back on, did the laces up tight, and stood as well. She hadn't noticed the way she had favored her good leg until she was able to balance her weight between both. The blood had dried along her calf, and flaked through the pressure from her pants and boot, but she dealt with it._

" _All good to go?" Roxas asked. Rhea nodded. "Okay. I'm gonna try to go fast so we don't trigger any respawn areas, but yell at me if you can't keep up, alright?"_

" _Got it." With that, Roxas sat off at a run, and Rhea jogged behind him. All the walls still looked the same, but Roxas made turns with certainty, and soon they were back at the downward staircase._

 _Roxas paused for Rhea to catch her breath. "You doing good?"_

" _I'll be fine," Rhea said, once again trying to get a closer look down the stairs. The voice hadn't said anything else, but the last words Rhea had heard were spoken here. If the girl had any thoughts on Rhea's successful find of Roxas, she didn't voice them. "I did leave a group of those monsters at the stairs, though. Just so you're ready."_

" _Heartless, huh?" Roxas lifted his hand like he still held his weapon. "Well, they're pretty weak this far down. I'll be able to handle them. No worries, Rhea." He grinned before his expression hardened and he stepped down the stairs. Rhea followed after him, taking each stair at half the boy's pace._

 _She expected the Heartless to still be scrambling at the stairs. Instead, the hall was clear, stretching out before them. Roxas took a deep breath and held out a hand, signaling Rhea to stay put. She clasped her hands together, trying to release the pressure building in her throat._

 _Roxas charged forward. Feet in front of him, the Heartless bubbled up from the ground, all five that Rhea had left behind. The key-shaped sword formed in Roxas's hand mid swing. Without a larger monster to back them up, Roxas made short work of the Heartless, his weapon vanishing the instant the danger had cleared._

He said he wasn't amazing, but excuse me if I don't believe it.

" _Okay, the coast's clear," Roxas called. Rhea approached his side. "I don't think there'll be too many more on the way down, but just stay back if a fight breaks out. I promise I'll get you out of here without any trouble."_

 _Rhea could only agree and carry on. Like on the floor above them, Roxas seemed to know the path, and they were down the stairs after a short fight with a few more Heartless. It made Rhea's own wandering trek look like a marathon. No monsters reappeared on the first floor, either, and soon the two pushed open the doors, cool night air pressing into Rhea's lungs. She hadn't noticed how stagnant the air inside had been._

 _She hadn't noticed how adrenaline had been fueling her every step._

 _Rhea collapsed into a heap on the stairs._

" _You okay?" Roxas asked, kneeling down to her side. Rhea tried to catch her breath before bursting into a fit of giggles. "Uh, Rhea…?"_

" _I'm okay." She was okay. And not trapped. And alive. It relieved her more than she would have thought. Rhea stared up at the sky, with its ever present night and moon and stars. "I just didn't think I'd see this view again, you know?"_

 _Roxas scratched the back of his head, not sure of how to respond. Rhea cursed her own stupidity in mentioning it, but what was done was done. If Roxas figured out the real reason she had entered the castle, then so be it. The boy looked around, his gaze dodging all over the place, and Rhea turned her head to the other side._

 _The boy coughed, and Rhea's heart jumped as he caught her attention. "So, you're from that town down there, right? It's always lit up, so I notice it when I come here, but it's too far away to go and visit."_

 _Rhea looked out across the face of her world. Even when up against the castle door, you could still see the town with no name lit up in the distance. Rhea couldn't believe she had walked that far in one go. Even with Roxas's healing magic, she felt like she could sleep for days. There was no way she could make it that far without having to rest first._

Am I really thinking about going back?

" _I guess I'm curious about it. And here. I mean, I've only tried getting to the top of the castle, so I haven't explored anywhere else." Roxas adjusted so he sat next to Rhea proper on the steps. "What's it like?"_

" _It's nothing special," Rhea whispered. A sky that never left night, never granted the sun. A quiet town overflowing with empty people. A place where people would pick you up and toss you out when they got bored. A very, very cruel place._

 _Hot tears spilled from Rhea's eyes. When she tried to breathe, the air caught on a sob. She tucked her knees into her chest and hugged them, reaching for a sense of security as she cried._

 _Roxas stammered between condolences before falling silent. And then his hand reached out to pat Rhea's shoulder. His leather glove creaked, but the gesture felt warm._

" _No, don't…" he tried. "I mean, I don't know what you're going through, but you don't want to go back there, do you?" Rhea bawled in reply, shaking her head. "It doesn't look like there's anywhere else to go in this world." There wasn't. That's why she had tried the castle. "But I can take you somewhere else if you want."_

 _Rhea lifted her head and looked to Roxas. Even in mere moonlight, his eyes held a bright blue unlike any she had seen before._

" _If you really don't want to stay here, Rhea, you can come with me."_

* * *

"How is she doing?" Madame asked.

"She's making progress," Sir answered. "But there's still time before her heart can properly heal. You know how it is."

"Yes, but I'm still glad we can help someone out. There isn't much we can do here, but…"

"We're doing as we can, my dear. For some people, that's enough. Most wounds can be healed with time."

"But the rest require care and love."

"Is that what you noticed then?"

"We can't do this entirely with our support. Her hurt runs far deeper than family affection. She needs that, but she'll need more."

"Friendship, of course. Everyone needs someone."

"She holds the Mark of Relationship."

"I see…"

"That point is still far off for her. But it's what's required for her to heal. It will come in time, I know, but I worry she can't find that here, or she'll give up on herself beforehand. I don't think even my words will be able to reach her then."

Sir let out an affectionate chuckle. "So determined to take care of everyone. But your words aren't the only ones out there, my darling."

"You're right, I know, but I do still worry."

"Things will be fine. We just need to put her on the right path. The rest will work itself out in time, so long as she continues to step forward. Now, let us tend to our guests. It's a never ending job, I'm afraid."

"But it's the one we chose together. I'm glad to do this beside you."

Without exchanging pleasantries, the couple split apart. Axel held his position against the wall, not moving until their footsteps had faded. The perpetual twilight around him refused to dim.

 _Is that how it is, then?_

* * *

 **[Avi's Notes]  
**

This chapter was fun but tricky, considering I feel like I don't have that strong of a grip on Zexion's character as I do for others'. Practice makes perfect, after all, so the rest of the story should just add to that skill, right?

Beyond that, we have the finishing moments of Rhea's first flashback, plus a little intrigue for things to come. What is the Mark of Relationship? We won't find out next week, but we'll have some more mysteries unraveled next Saturday!

Next Scene: "Go ahead, tell me about it." Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[09.26.2017]


	8. Act I, Scene VIII

**50**

By: Aviantei

Act I: 50 Minutes/Abandonment

Scene VIII: "Go ahead, tell me about it."

* * *

Axel took his best guess at when Rhea would arrive at the lunch room, which was tricky given the lack of time passing inside the Fifty Minute Room. In theory, if one waited long enough, they would encounter the one they were looking for. Unless the one they were looking for didn't want to be found, but Axel would take his chances. He tended to do well with that modus operandi.

Most of the time.

In his current plan, it was indeed "most of the time."

Rhea stepped through the door at Axel's approximate guess of thirty minutes after he had arrived. His own plate sat empty, but loitering was free. In his view of the room, a cluster of tables held close to each other, the collective space no bigger than a longue. Just enough space that someone could keep their distance from the others, but not enough that you could just ignore them.

Not that his view mattered to Rhea's course of actions. Their visions could contrast—that held more likely than anything else. But the girl glanced at him as she headed to the back of the room to pick up her meal, so she at least noticed him.

 _That's a step, I guess._

Axel toyed with his fork and watched her. In terms of stature, she matched Roxas fairly well. He could be excused for his mistake in the castle, given her hood had been up then. With it down, her light brown hair fell in soft waves, tucking into the back of her jacket. Said jacket, black with silver linings, hadn't helped with the confusion, as it matched Roxas's own.

And matched Axel's as well.

Rhea turned around, and Axel turned his gaze back on his plate, even if nothing remained to keep his interest. They had grated on each other's nerves enough earlier that openly watching her couldn't be the smartest move. He did, however, track her in his peripheral, until she stood in front of him, rendering caution unnecessary.

"Hey, um," she said, just short of a mumble, "sorry for being a bitch earlier. Mind if I sit here?"

Her eyes held a faint hazel and worry. She hadn't done too well after Roxas had ditched her; Axel couldn't criticize since he had much been the same. The sting of abandonment still pulsed in him a year later. The intensity of that within the first few days must've dug even deeper for Rhea. Rejecting the request would just be petty.

If Axel wanted to learn anything about Roxas's past year, he couldn't afford to be petty.

The redhead tapped the round table with his knuckle. Rhea nodded her thanks and took the seat across from him. A still sizzling hamburger sat on her plate, various condiments along the side. Rhea assembled her burger, vegetables first, sauces second, her eyes darting across the room.

Axel realized she was waiting for a response, and found himself stuck for a second.

"Don't be so skittish," he scolded, sticking to casual terms. No matter how much he wanted to ask about Roxas, jumping the gun wouldn't help. So long as Rhea didn't leave the Fifty Minute Room, time didn't present an issue. "I'll forgive your outburst if you forgive mine, how about that?"

Rhea frowned. Axel thought on his words from breakfast, wondering if that was enough. Well, the girl had shot back at him instead of recoiling from the insult, so she seemed tougher with words than her combat levels. She could take it.

"You don't really mean that," Rhea concluded, "but alright." When Axel didn't argue, her shoulders dropped. _She guessed, then. That's an instinctual distrust of others there._ Once more, Axel held the same values. It was almost disorienting. "At the very least, we're in the same boat. As people who once explored the castle, I guess that almost makes us comrades, huh?"

She left out the part where they had been abandoned by the same guy. It could've been out of consideration or protection of her own ego. Axel couldn't tell, but there was no sense in complaining.

"Not the best thing to be comrades over, but I'll take it," the redhead allowed. He had fought for worse causes. Rhea, satisfied with the layout of her meal, pressed the top bun onto her burger and took a bite. "This isn't to be rude, but you're not the best fighter. People like you don't make it long in places like that."

Rhea grimaced, but didn't fire back an insult. At least she knew her limits. "I played support," she said, once she had swallowed. "Ro… I got basic instruction in my daggers, and then ran around as a decoy when things got tough. That's about what I'm good for." She eyed Axel, her gaze dragging up and down his frame before locking on his empty plate. "You, on the other hand, can handle thirty floors of the castle on your own. So which one of us is more unusual?"

Axel barked out a laugh and tapped his temple. "We're both unusual. Got it memorized?"

Rhea sighed and took another bite of her burger. Axel didn't drag around the same words just to annoy people, but for this girl, he could make an exception.

"Anyway, I had lots of time to train, and magic to back me up," he explained, indicating the space around them. The Fifty Minute Room had contributed to most of his power increase in the past year. Skipping Temperies classes could do wonders under the right conditions. Rhea looked thoughtful, but seemed to understand. "Going through the castle with a partner is better, though, but I didn't want to miss my chance."

The girl's eyes narrowed, in contrast to the fresh bite of food she had taken. A mix of mayonnaise and ketchup dripped onto her plate. She swallowed hard in haste to demand an answer. "Your chance at what, exactly?"

Axel guessed the truth wouldn't improve her mood. Better than dealing with the fallout later. Until she could tell him more, they were in this together. Or, rather, Axel was in this and would drag Rhea along for as much time as he needed to. "To run into Roxas again," he answered, pointing his finger without a destination. "I had to check how the spell had progressed before making any other moves. He treated me like an enemy, so it's the same as always."

Rhea's frown deepened, creases unbefitting of her age pinching between her eyebrows. "And who's to say you aren't an enemy?" she retorted. "It's not like he doesn't recognize you. He got pissed when I tried to ask what your deal was. For all I know, you could be making this shit up to get me on your side." She sat her half-eaten hamburger down and tapped a knuckle to the table in irritation. "I'm not about to fall for something so stupid. You got me?"

"Your suspicion is much appreciated," Axel retorted, not bothering to keep his voice even. "I could suspect you, too. I mean, you're a sub-par supporter and you can't hold a fight on your own. You could've been leading Roxas into trouble. But you know what? I'm not going to do that. And you know why?

"Because I've felt the exact hurt you're experiencing right now. I see the way you hold onto his memory. And I know that Roxas is one of the kindest, hardworking people I've ever met, and there's no way you could spend an entire year around him and not be touched by that."

Rhea's hard expression slipped, and she didn't try to maintain it. The girl picked up a stray piece of lettuce, twirling it by the stem. "Okay, fine," she allowed, keeping better pace on her words. "So you know Roxas is still under a curse or whatever, and I'm officially banned from the castle raiding party. Where the heck does that leave us?"

Axel knew where it left _him_ —but that didn't answer much for the collective. "Well, I've already told the results to someone that can help with the spell; we'll just have to sit and wait on that front." Again, with the Fifty Minute Room, time was on their side. "As for you…" Madam had mentioned the Mark of Relationship, but from what little Axel knew, he couldn't help with that. Plus that counted as secret information, so he couldn't spill it over dinner, or inside the Room even. "No offense, but you don't seem to have sorted yourself out at all."

"I'm trying," Rhea grumbled, picking up her burger and taking an angry bite. Axel chose not to guess what she was envisioning. "There's…a lot to take in here. And a lot to think about with what happened." For someone who hopped dimensions between Temperies and the castle on a regular basis, she didn't hold much experience in such matters. Axel couldn't even fathom how Roxas had recruited her.

No, that was easy. He had been his friendly, caring self. The circumstances around that point begged attention.

"So then you should stay here and rest." Beyond thinking it as the best course of action, Axel needed to keep Rhea in one place. She'd be of better use once she had calmed down. "Overcome those doubts you're having." Axel considered his next words, then went with throwing Rhea a bone. "If you can't do that much, you'll just be a burden while storming the castle."

Rhea dropped the remains of her burger with a splat. Condiments flecked onto her shirt and the table, then faded out as the Fifty Minute Room corrected itself. The girl's hazel eyes shone, unconcerned with the state of her food. "You mean you'll take me in there with you?"

Axel leaned back in his seat, balancing the chair on its back legs. "Well, I hate to admit it—" and he really did "—but you're the best shot I have right now of getting Roxas to listen to me." Rhea held her glass of soda between both hands, giving off too dainty of an image for her foul mouth. "And you seem like the type to bother me until I agree to let you help, so I'm just getting that part out of the way."

"You've got that right," Rhea confirmed with a smirk. "I didn't expect you to read people so easily. Maybe you're smarter than I thought."

Axel abandoned his equilibrium and the front of his chair hit the floor, jabbing an erstwhile index finger to his temple. "You hear yourself? This brain can memorize anything you throw at it. Don't go saying stuff like that to someone you're asking for help!"

"Sorry, but you're so easy to insult it just happens naturally." Axel prepared to fire back before Rhea let out a laugh. She tried to cover her mouth, but the giggles broke free. The redhead sat back up, allowing himself a chuckle. Even griping at someone felt better than the past year on his own.

Longer than a year, even. _How much time have I put into this place?_

"So, um," Rhea hedged. She poked at her scattered burger, not intending to eat the rest. "Is there anything I can do until then? I know I need to stop shutting myself in alone, but that's hard and…" The girl bit her lip. She may not have been on the urge of tears, but that didn't stop sympathy from stinging at Axel's chest. "I guess I wanna ask if I can talk to you and stuff? I get it if that sounds dumb, but—"

"Doesn't bother me." It couldn't have worked out better, in all honesty. Rhea stared at him in surprise, then nodded. "I mean, you're not gonna have too much luck talking to some of the others here. And, besides, we have a common goal. I was planning on hanging around until you got back on your feet, so we won't have trouble coordinating times, either."

Rhea's face screwed up at the concept of coordinating in a place without time. Axel could say with experience that it was just as convoluted and confusing as it sounded. "Okay. Great. Thanks." She smiled a little. "Though, I don't know much to talk about. My hometown was pretty boring, and you know all about the castle, so…"

 _That's exactly what I need to know about,_ Axel thought, but didn't voice it. He needed baby steps. They'd get there in time. "Well, where are you from?" he asked, keeping it basic. "Not many newcomers find their way into Temperies." As far as he knew, Rhea had been the first. "Your home can't be as boring as that empty ghost town. Go ahead, tell me about it."

Rhea's mouth flapped in silence for a few beats, then she spluttered, "You first."

That hadn't been the response Axel had been expecting.

"Better yet," he said, not ready to tell that story just yet, if ever, "why don't I tell you when Roxas and I found the castle in the first place?"

Rhea set to attention, not even caring her question had just been deflected.

* * *

" _You keep looking at me weird. What's that all about?"_

 _Axel tried not to think too hard as he met gazes with the blonde kid. Bright blue eyes didn't let up for a second, at least until Roxas sighed and looked to the ground. Axel quirked an eyebrow, propped a hand on his hip, and waited._

" _It's because you look different," Roxas said, sounding embarrassed to admit it. Axel could agree his hair and height tended to make him eye-catching in most crowds. Being in the empty courtyard outside Temperies didn't help much either. "I mean it's…okay, promise you won't laugh or call me crazy or anything."_

 _Axel chuckled, which didn't help his case. Roxas looked torn between feeling hesitant or scowling. "Sorry. I've just encountered a lot of weird stuff in my lifetime. I can promise whatever you're gonna tell me, I'll at least give it a chance before dismissing it."_

 _Some would argue that 'weird' didn't even begin to describe Axel's experiences, but he wasn't in the mood to split hairs. This gap dimension was one such experience, and it didn't even make the top of the list. If Roxas held a hint to what the place meant, Axel would take it._

 _The reassurance did better than the redhead's initial reaction, and the tension drained from Roxas's shoulders. The blonde boy still looked around, as if what little people lived at Temperies would bother to spend time outside when the sky was lousy with waiting rain clouds._

" _I can see these gaps sometimes," Roxas confessed at a whisper. Axel made sure to keep track of his every word for later use. "I don't know how else to describe them. But I guess it's like there's a tear in the air. They're all a dark blue, and probably big enough to step through. I think. I've never gotten close enough to try."_

 _In Axel's experience, that could be any number of things. He wasn't the expert on such matters. "Alright. So what does that have to do with me?"_

" _Well it's not the exact same but—" Roxas hesitated, then took a deep breath to steel himself. "You have an aura around you, too. It's black or gray, like wisps of smoke. And, really, it's kind of distracting."_

 _Axel lifted his own arm, but couldn't see anything, no matter how hard he squinted. Even with his magic sense, nothing felt unusual. Considering it was his own body, though, would he be able to notice. All things considered, Roxas possessed a special magic ability that Axel hadn't even heard of._

Well, we hit the jackpot here, then.

" _Can't say I know how to turn that off," Axel admitted, his grin leaking into his words. Roxas shook his head, expression still concerned. "But those are some eyes you've got there if you can see that stuff."_ Tears in space, huh?

 _Axel pulled one hand from his pocket, held his palm open, and willed a single chakram to materialize._

 _Roxas tensed, stepped back, and held out an arm, as if the tree behind him was worth protecting._

" _Easy, I just wanna check something." Axel concentrated and used his chakram to channel enough magic into a portal. He cut a thin line in space, keeping tabs on Roxas. The blonde's eyes widened at the sight. "Now. Does that look like what you said is coming off me?"_

 _Roxas nodded and stepped forward. He stretched a hand out to touch the portal, but Axel sent it and his chakram away with a dismissive gesture._

" _No sense in going there. Not much for someone like you, anyways." Not even Axel had much desire to go back there, though he would need to in time. But for now, investigating Temperies held the priority, and it seemed like the place had plenty to investigate._

 _Roxas frowned, but his voice carried awe more than any other emotion. "What was that?"_

" _A portal," Axel answered, keeping his tone light. He needed to steer the conversation in the right direction. "One to another world, actually. It's the only one I can open, plus it takes a lot out of me, so don't go asking me to show them off all willy nilly."_

"' _Another world'?" Roxas echoed. "You're from another world?"_

" _Yes, but I promise it's not that special. There are lots of world-hoppers out there." Roxas didn't seem convinced by the insistence of mediocrity, but Axel pressed on. "Hey, you said the portal looked like me, and_ I _look like your dark blue space holes, right?"_ _Roxas's eyes lit up as he pulled together the connection. "Temperies is connected to another world all on its own. Isn't that more interesting?"_

 _Roxas grinned a bit, glancing around the empty courtyard. Axel couldn't see the same way he did, but guessing what the boy searched for wasn't hard._

" _You don't gotta hunt down a new one," Axel scolded. "I'm sure you memorized where some of them were. Let's just go to one of those and check it out."_

" _Not how it works," Roxas said. Now that the big hurdle had been cleared, the boy's voice carried every trace of familiarity. "They show up and disappear in different places. Sure, some of them appear in the same spots, but that doesn't mean they're always around." Well, that made things a bit more complicated. Not impossible to overcome, though. "You'll come with me, though? If I see one, you'll check it out with me? It'll be safer as a group."_

 _Axel didn't have to think it over; not with the mission directive. But even if it hadn't been for the directive, if it hadn't been for the necessity, with those bright eyes and that infectious smile—_

" _Yeah, I'll come along. Don't expect me to pass this up!"_

— _Axel would have given the exact same response._

* * *

 **[Avi's Notes]**

More flashbacks this time, but from a different perspective. There are still plenty of stories to unravel as Act I comes closer to its finisher.

But fair warning that I'll be taking a break from updating this story to slip around and make sure my other active projects get some love. I'll be back, but thank you for reading this story in the meantime.

If you ever wanna hear about what I've got in the works, you can find all that sorts of information on Twitter ( **Plot_K_Bunny** ) and even my original projects on ( **Plot Bunny Productions** )!

Next Scene: "Alright, Your Honor, it goes a little something like this..."

Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[10.02.2017]


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